WASHINGTON/OTTAWA, Sept 22 (Reuters) – 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 agents from New Delhi in the murder of a Canadian citizen in June.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that Ottawa had credible intelligence linking Indian agents to the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, prompting an angry reaction from New Delhi, which denies the allegation.
“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.”
The White House has expressed concern about the allegations, but Blinken is the most senior US official to comment so far.
Canada’s traditional allies, including the United States, appeared to take a cautious approach to the issue earlier this week. Political analysts said this was partly because the United States and other major players view India as a counterweight to China’s growing influence.
“We have been consulting very closely with our Canadian colleagues, not just consulting but coordinating with them on this issue,” Blinken said.
During a press conference, Trudeau was asked about the allegations and reiterated his call for the Indian government to cooperate.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rises to make a statement in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File Photo Acquire license rights
“We are there to work constructively with India. We hope they will engage with us so we can get to the bottom of this very serious matter,” Trudeau said.
On Friday, Trudeau also said Canada shared its concerns with New Delhi some time ago.
“Canada has shared the credible allegations that I discussed on Monday with India. We did that many weeks ago,” Trudeau told reporters.
The Canadian government has amassed human and signals intelligence in a months-long investigation into the assassination of the Sikh separatist leader, CBC News reported separately Thursday, citing sources.
The report said the intelligence included communications from Indian officials present in Canada, adding that some of the information was provided by an unnamed ally of the Five Eyes alliance.
Five Eyes is an intelligence-sharing network that includes the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
However, Trudeau has not provided any details about what Canada’s spy agencies have collected and his office has neither confirmed nor denied the CBC report.
Senior Canadian government sources have said Trudeau would not have spoken publicly without having a high level of confidence in the intelligence.
Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Edited by Daniel Wallis and David Gregorio.
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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