After the assassination of Sikh rebel Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the US sent Canada intelligence, but communications intercepted by Ottawa were more conclusive and led it to accuse India of masterminding the attack, The New York Times (NYT) said quoting sources.
The news broke on Saturday when the senior US ambassador in Canada stated that “shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners” was what led Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to accuse India of being responsible for the murder of a Khalistani fanatic on Canadian territory.
In response to Ottawa’s decision to remove an Indian official over the charges, India dismissed the claims as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian ambassador. India asserted that Canada provides a refuge for terrorists.
On June 18, Nijjar, the leader of the outlawed Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), assassinated in Surrey, British Columbia. In 2020, India deemed Nijjar to be a terrorist.
India has requested by the United States to assist Canada in its inquiries.
The NYT claimed, citing unidentified allied officials, that “in the wake of the killing, US intelligence agencies offered their Canadian counterparts context that helped Canada conclude that India had involved.”
However, the alleged “smoking gun,” intercepted communications of Indian diplomats in Canada suggesting complicity in the plot, acquired by Canadian investigators, according to allied officials.
According to David Cohen, the US ambassador to Canada, Trudeau made aware of the potential participation of Indian operatives in the assassination of a Canadian citizen in June through “shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners,” according to an interview with CTV News.
Also Read:- Trudeau’s Claims of Earlier Intelligence Shakes India-Canada Relations.