The US provided intelligence to Canada after the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the Vancouver area, but conversations intercepted by Ottawa were less conclusive, leading it to accuse India of organising the plan, as reported by The New York Times (NYT).
On Saturday, a senior US official in Canada stated that “shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners” prompted Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s severe allegation against India in the assassination of a Khalistani extremist on Canadian territory.
US Intel on Nijjar Killing
Nijjar, the leader of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was assassinated in June in Surrey, British Columbia. In 2020, India designated Nijjar as a terrorist.
The NYT reported, citing unnamed allied officials, “In the aftermath of the killing, US intelligence agencies offered their Canadian counterparts context that helped Canada conclude that India had been involved.”
A statement from allied officials in the report claims that Canadian officials obtained what seems to be the “smoking gun” — intercepted communications of Indian diplomats in Canada confirming complicity in the plan.
According to two allied officials, after Nijjar’s death, US officials told their Canadian counterparts that Washington had no prior knowledge of the plot and that, if they had, they would have immediately informed Ottawa under the intelligence agencies’ “duty to warn” doctrine, the NYT reported.
The NYT report claimed that the US routinely exchanges intercepted communications with its closest intelligence allies, including Canada. However, the contextual information regarding the killing was given on purpose as part of several intelligence streams.
#IndiaCanadaRow | US wants to see accountability on Nijjar killing, says Secretary of State Antony Blinken
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) September 23, 2023
LIVE updates https://t.co/G8cGgJ3F78 pic.twitter.com/hrELw528lj
The intelligence given by the US was not described in detail by allied officials. A Canadian government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information, stated that the government has received intelligence from multiple nations.
Last week, PM Trudeau stated that Ottawa had reliable evidence linking Indian operatives to the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Nijjar, provoking a furious response from New Delhi, which denies the allegation.
Earlier this month, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBS) claimed that the Canadian government had collected communications from Indian diplomats in Canada.
US Expects India’s Cooperation
The US announced on Friday that it expects the Indian government to cooperate with Canada in investigating the suspected involvement of New Delhi agents in the murder of Canadian citizen Nijjar.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a press conference, “We are deeply concerned about the allegations that Prime Minister Trudeau has raised.” “It would be important that India work with the Canadians on this investigation. We want to see accountability,” he added.
Blinken reassured, “We have been consulting throughout very closely with our Canadian colleagues, not just consulting but coordinating with them on this issue.”
Trudeau reiterated his request for cooperation from the Indian government. “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,” he remarked.