Canada's Alberta province seeks terrorist label on Lawrence Bishnoi gang

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the province's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis, called on the federal government to designate the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist organisation, citing its growing international reach and dangerous activities in Canada.

In a joint statement posted on social media, Smith and Ellis said the Bishnoi gang is a "transnational criminal network" responsible for a wide range of violent crimes – including extortion, targeted killings, and drug trafficking – including in Canada. "Its reach is global, and its intent is criminal and violent," the statement added.

The province has joined British Columbia (BC) in urging Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to designate the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist organisation.

Last month, BC Premier David Eby stated that the initiative is intended to provide law enforcement with stronger tools to tackle the gang's expanding extortion operations.

The BC premier said the gang had been linked to extortions and other crimes against South Asian community members in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, according to The Canadian Press.

Smith and Ellis, in the statement, backed the BC Premier's call for federal action against the gang.

"We stand with BC Premier David Eby and other officials across Canada in calling for immediate federal action. The federal government must use every tool available to dismantle this network and keep Canadians safe," the joint statement, which was issued on Monday, read.

"We know that gang activity knows no boundaries and respects no borders, and Alberta wants to send a clear message: you are not welcome here. Formally designating the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity will unlock critical powers, allowing provincial and municipal-level law enforcement agencies to access the necessary tools and resources needed to effectively disrupt operations and protect our people," the statement added.

"We are committed to taking action to keep terrorist organisations, gangs and violent criminals from targeting and exploiting the people of Alberta," it further said.

South Asian communities in Alberta and across Canada have been disproportionately targeted and affected by this threat, according to the statement.

The BC Premier pointed out that while a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) task force is already active in addressing the extortion threats, conventional policing methods might not be adequate to tackle the issue effectively.

"They need additional tools to respond to the fact that this is transnational organised crime. "This is more in the nature of terrorism than it is traditional crime," he said.

The Lawrence Bishnoi gang, named after its jailed gangster in India, has been linked to a series of high-profile criminal cases, including extortion threats to Indian celebrities and businessmen, with alleged overseas operatives playing a key role, according to a report in PTI.

Punjab-based gangster Bishnoi is presently incarcerated at Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad.

EDMONTON POLICE BACKS PROVINCE's CALL AGAINST BISHNOI GANG

Interim Police Chief of Alberta's capital city, Edmonton, Devin Laforce, expressed support for Alberta's push, saying the Edmonton Police Service welcomes the province's call for the federal government to designate the India-based Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist organisation in Canada, according to a report in the Alberta-based newspaper, Edmonton Journal.

"Edmonton is not immune to the impacts of transnational crime. We agree with the Government of Alberta that this designation will provide the EPS and its law enforcement partners with enhanced powers and investigative tools that will help us continue to dismantle organized crime groups and criminal activity on our streets (sic)," Laforce said, the newspaper reported, citing his statement.

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