FBI Puts Accused Nijjar Assassination Mastermind "Goldy Brar" on Ten Most Wanted List With $1 Million Reward

What happened

The FBI announced on Monday, September 28, 2026, that it has added Satinderjeet Singh, known as "Goldy Brar," to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and is offering a reward of up to US$1 million for information leading to his arrest, according to CTV News. Singh was charged in July 2026 with ordering the June 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader who was gunned down outside a temple in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. The announcement came at a joint FBI-RCMP press conference in Los Angeles and flows from "Operation Hard Ball," a July 2026 joint crackdown in which 37 people were charged and 24 arrested across Canada, the United States and Europe over India-based organized crime networks.

At the press conference, Patrick Grandy, assistant director in charge of the FBI in Los Angeles, said Singh "should be considered armed and dangerous." He added that the FBI does not know Singh's exact location but believes he could be in the Los Angeles area, noting that Singh has also resided in other parts of California and in Canada. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the inclusion of the defendant on the list "underscores this administration's determination to bring the full force of the law upon transnational criminal gangs," and vowed to "hunt down thugs such as 'Goldy Brar' and ensure they never see the outside of a prison again."

On the Canadian side, RCMP Deputy Commissioner of Federal Policing Lisa Moreland said Singh and his network have inflicted "devastating havoc on countless lives" through high-profile murders, death threats, extortion and drug trafficking. She described Singh as a man who "holds no loyalty, nor should others feel any loyalty towards him," according to meadowlakeNOW, carrying The Canadian Press report.

The FBI says Singh is part of the Bishnoi enterprise and allegedly served as its North American leader. He is described as a lieutenant of gang boss Lawrence Bishnoi, who is imprisoned in India and is also charged with ordering Nijjar's killing. Canada designated the Bishnoi group a terrorist entity in September 2025. In May 2024, four Indian nationals were charged with murder in the case, and that prosecution is now before the B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster. The FBI is asking for tips through its toll-free line, 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

Why it matters

The move places an accused architect of the Nijjar killing on the FBI's most public list of fugitives, a step that keeps the case at the center of one of the most consequential diplomatic disputes between Canada and India in decades. In 2023, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons there were "credible allegations" of Indian government involvement in Nijjar's killing. India denies any involvement. In 2024, both countries expelled six of each other's diplomats.

The announcement lands at a delicate moment in the relationship. Under Prime Minister Mark Carney, ties are being recalibrated, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Canada in December 2026, with both countries seeking a trade pact intended to double two-way trade to $70 billion annually by 2030. RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said in March that the RCMP sees "no current criminal links" connecting India to transnational repression cases in Canada, a statement that sits alongside the continuing prosecution of the four Indian nationals charged in the murder and the new U.S. push to capture Singh. The listing also signals that American law enforcement is treating the Bishnoi network as a transnational threat operating on North American soil, not solely a Canadian or Indian problem.

How it is being covered

According to ground.news, 27 sources are carrying the story, with a left/centre/right split of 62/38/0 percent, meaning no right-leaning outlets are covering it, a confirmed coverage blindspot on the right. Factuality ratings are strong: 25 of 26 rated sources are high or very high, with one rated very low. The story is being carried primarily by Canadian and wire-based outlets, with the joint FBI-RCMP framing and the diplomatic backdrop receiving the most attention.

What to watch

Watch whether Singh is located or surrenders, and whether the $1 million reward produces leads in the Los Angeles area or elsewhere in California. The B.C. Supreme Court prosecution of the four Indian nationals charged in May 2024 will remain the main legal track in the Nijjar killing itself. Diplomatically, the December 2026 visit by Narendra Modi and the negotiations toward a $70 billion trade target will test whether the most-wanted listing complicates or coexists with the Carney government's recalibration of ties with India. Any further charges from Operation Hard Ball, which has already produced 37 charges and 24 arrests across three continents, would also signal how broadly the FBI and RCMP intend to pursue the Bishnoi network.

By the numbers

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