After the murder of an activist, relations between Canada and India froze. According to the US, Prime Minister Trudeau relied on information from Canada’s close intelligence partners.
Ontario – According to the US, indications of alleged links between the Indian government and the murder of activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar came from Western intelligence agencies.
“There was an exchange of intelligence information between the Five Eyes partners,” the US ambassador to Canada, David Cohen, confirmed to Canadian television station CTV. Five Eyes countries that regularly share information with each other include the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
Trudeau’s accusations against India
Last Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian agents of carrying out the targeted killing of Canadian citizen Nijjar in a speech in Parliament. In June this year, masked men opened fire on the religious activist in front of a Sikh temple near Vancouver; he died a short time later from his injuries.
Nijjar is not only a representative of the Sikh religious community, but also of the Khalistan movement, which advocates for an independent state in India. Therefore, leaders in New Delhi view native Indians as terrorists.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government immediately rejected allegations of involvement in the killing. This case put relations between the two countries at their lowest point. The two democracies expelled each other’s diplomats.
In an exclusive CTV interview, Cohen did not confirm whether the US had conveyed the information to Canada. He simply said: “There has been a lot of communication between Canada and the US on this.” So far, Washington has refrained from repeating its ally Canada’s accusations and exerting pressure on the Indian government, only expressing concern. dpa
