Five Eyes intelligence sharing informed Trudeau’s allegation about India, CTV News reports

Sept 23 (Reuters) – U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen confirmed that “intelligence shared between Five Eyes partners” had informed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of the possible involvement of Indian agents in the murder of a Canadian citizen in June, CTV News reported.

Intelligence sharing grid Five Eyes includes the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Trudeau said Monday that Ottawa had credible intelligence linking Indian agents to the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver, sparking an angry reaction of New Delhi, which denies the accusation.

“I will say that this was a question of shared intelligence information. There was a lot of communication between Canada and the United States on this, and I think that’s as far as I’m comfortable,” Cohen told CTV News in an interview to air Sunday.

The Canadian government amassed intelligence from human and electronic sources in a months-long investigation into the murder, CBC News reported separately Thursday.

Cohen did not comment to CTV News about the type of intelligence he had reported to the Canadian government.

The United States made clear on Friday that it expected the Indian government to work with Canada on efforts to investigate the possible involvement of New Delhi agents in Nijjar’s murder.

“We are deeply concerned by the allegations that Prime Minister Trudeau has raised,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters at a news conference.

“It would be important for India to work with the Canadians on this investigation. We want there to be accountability.”

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