US intel involvement risks ensnaring Washington in ongoing India-Canada row

US spy agencies provided information to Ottawa following the killing of a Khalistan terrorist in the Vancouver area, but Canada developed the most definitive intelligence that led Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to level accusations against India, leading to a diplomatic standoff, The New York reported Times citing Western Allied officials.

In the aftermath of the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, US intelligence agencies shared the context with their Canadian counterparts, contributing to Canada’s determination of India’s role in the incident. However, what appears to be the crucial piece of evidence, the intercepted communications involving Indian diplomats in Canada, which revealed their involvement in the plot, was collected by Canadian officials, as confirmed by allied officials, according to the report in the NYT.

While US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken has called on India to cooperate with the Canadian investigation, US officials have been cautious about provoking any diplomatic response from India. Nevertheless, the revelation of US intelligence involvement threatens to “entrap” Washington in the ongoing diplomatic dispute between Canada and India, just as the US looks to strengthen its partnership with New Delhi, NYT reported.

U.S. intelligence agencies only became aware of the plot or evidence involving India after Nijjar was killed, according to allied officials.

Before his killing on June 18 outside a gurduwara, Canadian authorities had repeatedly warned Nijjar about the threats against him and advised him not to go to the temple.

After his death, U.S. officials informed their Canadian counterparts that they had no prior information about the plot. They stressed that if they had, they would have immediately shared it with Ottawa under the “duty to warn” doctrine adhered to by the intelligence services, two allied officials said.

The United States routinely shares significant amounts of intercepted communications with its closest intelligence partners, including Canada. In this case, however, the contextual information about the killing was deliberately shared as part of a comprehensive package of various intelligence streams, the NYT reported.

U.S. officials have been cautious in discussing the killing. As the United States looks to help Canada, its close ally, it is also trying to avoid alienating India, a partner it hopes to expand ties with to counter China’s growing influence in Asia.

The allegations have strained diplomatic ties between Ottawa and New Delhi, prompting both countries to expel each other’s intelligence officers, while India has suspended visas for Canadians. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canadian officials have refrained from making public the specific intelligence gathered about India. Canadian authorities argue it is crucial not to jeopardize the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s ongoing investigation into the killing, the newspaper report said.

Allied officials have refrained from providing detailed descriptions of the intelligence shared by the United States, while a Canadian government official, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the information, confirmed that they had received intelligence from multiple countries.

However, India rejected the allegations, calling them “absurd and motivated”.