US Ambassador to Canada, David Cohen, has affirmed that “shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners” was pivotal in conveying information to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding potential involvement of Indian agents in the homicide of a Canadian citizen in June, as reported by CTV News.
The Five Eyes intelligence-sharing consortium, comprising the US, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, played a central role in this disclosure.
Prime Minister Trudeau, on Monday, disclosed the presence of credible intelligence connecting Indian agents to the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver. This revelation incited a vehement reaction from New Delhi, which vehemently denies any involvement.
In an interview to be aired on Sunday, Ambassador Cohen divulged, “I will say this was a matter of shared intelligence information. There was a lot of communication between Canada and the United States about this, and I think that’s as far as I’m comfortable going.”
The Canadian government, through an extensive investigation spanning months, amassed intelligence from both human and electronic sources, as separately reported by CBC News on Thursday.
Cohen refrained from specifying the nature of the intelligence that informed the Canadian government’s conclusions.
The United States, on Friday, unequivocally conveyed its expectation that the Indian government would collaborate with Canada in investigating the potential involvement of New Delhi agents in Nijjar’s murder. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed deep concern during a press briefing, stating, “It would be important that India work with the Canadians on this investigation. We want to see accountability.”
Although the White House had previously expressed concerns over these allegations, Blinken’s statement represents the most senior US official commentary on the matter to date.
Earlier in the week, traditional Canadian allies, including the United States, adopted a measured stance, in part due to India’s perceived role as a counterbalance to China’s expanding influence, according to political analysts.
Blinken emphasized, “We have been consulting throughout very closely with our Canadian colleagues, not just consulting but coordinating with them on this issue.”
During a press conference, Prime Minister Trudeau reiterated his call for the Indian government to cooperate, stating, “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.”
Trudeau also revealed that Canada had shared its concerns with New Delhi several weeks ago, stating, “Canada has shared the credible allegations that I talked about on Monday with India. We did that many weeks ago.”
