According to a media report citing Canadian government sources, Canada’s accusations of India’s involvement in the killing of a Sikh separatist in Surrey, which sparked a diplomatic dispute between the two countries, are based on both human and signals intelligence as well as inputs from an ally from Ottawa’s Five Eye intelligence network.
Following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s explosive accusations of the “potential” participation of Indian spies in the murder of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil on June 18 in British Columbia, tensions between India and Canada erupted early this week. In 2020, India deemed Nijjar to be a terrorist.
India angrily rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official over the case.
In a months-long inquiry into the Sikh man’s death that has strained relations with India, the Canadian government has gathered both human and signals intelligence, according to sources cited by CBC News, a unit of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
That intelligence includes communications involving Indian officials themselves, including Indian diplomats present in Canada, say Canadian government sources.
The intelligence did not come solely from Canada. Some were provided by an unnamed ally in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, the public broadcaster said.
Canada is part of a ‘Five Eyes’ network which is an intelligence alliance consisting of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
