US confirmation of Five Eyes intelligence sharing prompted Canada to infer Indian involvement in the murder of Nijjar

Insinuating himself into the ongoing diplomatic dispute between India and Canada, US Ambassador to Canada David Cohen stated that shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners led the Trudeau administration to assert a possible link between Indian government agents and the murder of separatist Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom form the Five Eyes intelligence alliance.

On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that Ottawa possessed credible intelligence linking Indian agents to the murder of Nijjar in Vancouver.

India, however, denounced the allegations as 'absurd and motivated'.

"This was a matter of shared intelligence information," I will say. There was a great deal of communication between Canada and the United States regarding this, and I believe that's as far as I'm comfortable going," Cohen stated in an interview with CTV News.

CTV News is the news department of Canada's CTV Television Network.

Cohen refrained from elaborating on the nature of the intelligence shared between the Five Eyes partners and the Canadian government.

Trudeau told reporters earlier this week that officials have been working closely with intelligence agencies since the summer to "ensure that we have a solid understanding of what's going on."

Trudeau stated on the floor of the Canadian Parliament that any involvement of a foreign government in the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil constitutes an intolerable breach of the country's sovereignty. Additionally, he stated that the alleged murder violated the fundamental rules "by which free, open, and democratic societies conduct themselves."

"If the allegations prove to be true, it is a potentially very serious breach of the rules-based international order in which we like to function," Cohen added in the interview.

Earlier on Friday (local time), US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Washington was "deeply concerned" about Trudeau's claims that India was involved in the assassination of pro-Khalistan leader Nijjar.

Indicating that the United States desires accountability in the matter, the envoy stated that it was "vital" that the investigation run its course and reach a conclusion.

Blinken stated at a press conference in New York City earlier that the United States has engaged directly with the Indian government and is also consulting "very closely" with Canada and coordinating on the issue. He deemed it essential that India and Canada work together to investigate the murder.

During a Thursday news conference in New York City, Trudeau neglected to provide any evidence to support his claims. The Canadian Prime Minister was repeatedly questioned about the nature of the allegations, but he maintained that there were "credible reasons" to believe that India was responsible for Nijjar's murder.

Nijjar, an Indian-designated terrorist, was shot and killed outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18. Amid escalating tensions and a developing diplomatic standoff, both countries expelled the other's most senior diplomats. Canada was also denied visa services by India.