Five Eyes intelligence informed Canadian premier’s accusation involving India, says US ambassador

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - US Ambassador to Canada David Cohen confirmed Saturday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's claim about a possible link between the Indian government and a Canadian citizen's murder relied on “shared intelligence among the Five Eyes partners.”

“There was shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners that helped lead Canada to making the statements that the Prime Minister made,” Cohen told CTV News.

The Five Eyes is an intelligence partnership among Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US.

The Sikh community in India has called for calm as tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa regarding a Sikh leader's death who was part of a movement for an independent state in India, have inflamed relations.

Trudeau's bombshell accusation about Indian involvement in the June 18 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia has escalated tensions, with both countries expelling each other's diplomats.

India, which rejected the allegation as “absurd,” has also stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens due to "security threats."

Trudeau, however, said he was not looking to provoke India and urged Indian officials to cooperate with the investigation into the killing.

The Khalistan movement for an independent Sikh state in India peaked in the 1980s. It was quelled by force, and most of its leaders are now said to be based in Canada, Australia and the UK.