Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed that Canada had shared evidence with India several weeks ago, indicating potential involvement of Indian government agents in the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
Trudeau stated at a press conference in Ottawa, “Canada has shared the credible allegations that I talked about on Monday with India. We did that many weeks ago. We are there to work constructively with India. We hope that they engage with us so that we can get to the bottom of this very serious matter.”
Earlier this week, Trudeau had disclosed that Ottawa possessed credible intelligence linking Indian government agents to Nijjar’s murder in June, causing a strong reaction from New Delhi. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, was a Canadian citizen.
According to reports from CBC News, the Canadian government has gathered both human and signals intelligence during a months-long investigation into the murder of the Sikh separatist leader. This intelligence reportedly includes communications involving Indian officials present in Canada, with some information provided by an unnamed ally in the Five Eyes alliance.
The Five Eyes alliance comprises the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and it functions as an intelligence-sharing network.
While Trudeau has not divulged specific details about Canada’s intelligence findings, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern about the allegations, emphasizing the need for “accountability” in this matter. This marks the highest-ranking U.S. official to comment on the issue so far.