Malik, acquitted in 1985 Air India bombing, shot dead in Canada

TORONTO:The Canadian police have said they are still working to determine the motive behind the targeted killing of Ripudaman Singh Malik, a 75-year-old Sikh man acquitted in the tragic 1985 Air India Kanishka terrorist bombing case.

Malik was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia on Thursday. Malik and co-accused Ajaib Singh Bagri were acquitted in 2005 of mass murder and conspiracy charges related to the two bombings in 1985 that killed 331 people, the CBC News said.

The report cited a witness who said he “heard three shots and pulled Malik from his red Tesla bleeding from a neck wound.” Another witness from a nearby business identified that the victim of the shooting was Malik.

Surrey Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said a "man shot at that location at around 9:30 am succumbed to his injuries at the scene. They say it appears to be a targeted shooting and are not releasing the victim's name." The police said they located a "suspect vehicle" which was "engulfed in fire," the report added.

Another report in ABC News said that while police had not initially released the victim's identity, it confirmed it after Malik's son, Jaspreet Malik, posted a statement on social media about his father's shooting.