WASHINGTON: Under pressure on world stage to produce evidence to back up its allegation that New Delhi is behind the assassination of an immigrant Sikh militant, the Canadian government has claimed in leaks to the media that it has “both human and signals intelligence” pointing to the involvement of Indian officials in the killing.
The intelligence, which is said to also implicate Indian diplomats serving in Canada, did not come solely from Canada; some was provided by an unnamed ally in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported on Thursday night, citing unnamed government sources. Canada, US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand are members of the alliance.
Signals intelligence would typically mean electronic eavesdropping; the unnamed Five Eyes ally, going by the vehemence with which Washington came out today in support of Canada, points to the United States.
At a White House briefing, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington is consulting closely with Canada on the issue supports the efforts that they are undertaking in this investigation. The US has also been in touch with the Indian government, he added.
Sullivan denied there was any “wedge” between the US and Canada on the issue and asserted that “as soon as we heard from the Canadian prime minister publicly about the allegations, we went out publicly ourselves and expressed our deep concern about them, our support for a law enforcement process to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.”
“We have deep concerns about the allegations, and we would like to see this investigation carried forward and the perpetrators held to account. That is what the United States has stood for from the moment this emerged in public, and we will continue to stand for that until this fully plays its way out,” he added.
Asked if President Biden intends to speak to PM Modi about the Canadian allegations and if the incident could drive a wedge between the US and India, Sullivan declined to get into “private diplomatic conversations that have either already happened or are going to happen on this topic, only to say that we have been and will be in contact with the Indians at high levels on this issue.” Sullivan’s national security counterpart in India is Ajit Doval.
Although the US itself has carried out trans-national assassinations, including of its own citizens (notably Anwar al Awlaki, an Islamic scholar who was killed in Yemen in a Drone strike), Sullivan maintained that no country could get a free pass for such an action.
“It is a matter of concern for us. It is something we take seriously. It’s something we will keep working on, and we will do that regardless of the country. There is not some special exemption you get for actions like this. Regardless of the country, we will stand up and defend our basic principles. And we will also consult closely with allies like Canada as they pursue their law enforcement and diplomatic process,” he said.
The CBC report meanwhile cited “Canadian sources” saying that “when pressed behind closed doors, no Indian official has denied the bombshell allegation at the core of this case — that there is evidence to suggest Indian government involvement in the assassination of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil.”
New Delhi has said Canada has produced no evidence to back its allegations. Trudeau too has used the word allegations, not evidence, in accusing India of involvement.
“I can assure you that the decision to share these allegations on the floor of the House of Commons … was not done lightly,” Trudeau said Thursday in New York after attending the United Nations General Assembly. “It was done with the utmost seriousness.”
The intelligence, which is said to also implicate Indian diplomats serving in Canada, did not come solely from Canada; some was provided by an unnamed ally in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported on Thursday night, citing unnamed government sources. Canada, US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand are members of the alliance.
Signals intelligence would typically mean electronic eavesdropping; the unnamed Five Eyes ally, going by the vehemence with which Washington came out today in support of Canada, points to the United States.
At a White House briefing, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington is consulting closely with Canada on the issue supports the efforts that they are undertaking in this investigation. The US has also been in touch with the Indian government, he added.
Sullivan denied there was any “wedge” between the US and Canada on the issue and asserted that “as soon as we heard from the Canadian prime minister publicly about the allegations, we went out publicly ourselves and expressed our deep concern about them, our support for a law enforcement process to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.”
“We have deep concerns about the allegations, and we would like to see this investigation carried forward and the perpetrators held to account. That is what the United States has stood for from the moment this emerged in public, and we will continue to stand for that until this fully plays its way out,” he added.
Asked if President Biden intends to speak to PM Modi about the Canadian allegations and if the incident could drive a wedge between the US and India, Sullivan declined to get into “private diplomatic conversations that have either already happened or are going to happen on this topic, only to say that we have been and will be in contact with the Indians at high levels on this issue.” Sullivan’s national security counterpart in India is Ajit Doval.
Although the US itself has carried out trans-national assassinations, including of its own citizens (notably Anwar al Awlaki, an Islamic scholar who was killed in Yemen in a Drone strike), Sullivan maintained that no country could get a free pass for such an action.
“It is a matter of concern for us. It is something we take seriously. It’s something we will keep working on, and we will do that regardless of the country. There is not some special exemption you get for actions like this. Regardless of the country, we will stand up and defend our basic principles. And we will also consult closely with allies like Canada as they pursue their law enforcement and diplomatic process,” he said.
The CBC report meanwhile cited “Canadian sources” saying that “when pressed behind closed doors, no Indian official has denied the bombshell allegation at the core of this case — that there is evidence to suggest Indian government involvement in the assassination of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil.”
New Delhi has said Canada has produced no evidence to back its allegations. Trudeau too has used the word allegations, not evidence, in accusing India of involvement.
“I can assure you that the decision to share these allegations on the floor of the House of Commons … was not done lightly,” Trudeau said Thursday in New York after attending the United Nations General Assembly. “It was done with the utmost seriousness.”