Canada government hints at potential sanctions against India as diplomatic tensions escalate
Ottawa: Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has suggested that sanctions against India could be on the horizon amid the deepening diplomatic rift between the two countries.
In a statement earlier today, Joly remarked that "everything is on the table" when questioned about the possibility of imposing sanctions on India. This follows accusations from the Indian government, alleging that Canada is providing a safe haven for Khalistani terrorists.
The situation has escalated following the expulsion of diplomats by both nations. Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, while India responded by criticising the move and dismissing the allegations as "ludicrous" and politically driven.
The tensions were further exacerbated by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s accusations that Indian agents were involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and Khalistani leader, in June 2023. India has firmly denied any involvement in the matter, calling the accusations "absurd."
Joly further said that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had gathered substantial evidence in the Nijjar case, which led to the decision to expel the Indian diplomats. She also urged India to cooperate in the investigation to benefit both nations.
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Bondi Beach shooting suspect conducted firearms training with his father, Australian police say
Melbourne (AP): A man accused of killing 15 people at Sydney's Bondi Beach conducted firearms training in an area of New South Wales state outside of Sydney with his father, Australian police documents released on Monday allege.
The men recorded a video about their justification for the meticulously planned attack, according to a police statement of facts that was made public following Naveed Akram's video court appearance Monday from a Sydney hospital where he has been treated for an abdominal injury.
Officers wounded Akram at the scene of the Dec. 14 shooting and killed his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram.
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The New South Wales state government confirmed Naveed Akram was transferred on Monday from a hospital to a prison. Neither facility was identified by authorities.
The statement alleges the 24-year-old and his father began their attack by throwing four improvised explosive devices toward a crowd celebrating an annual Jewish event at Bondi Beach, but the devices failed to explode.
Police described the devices as three aluminium pipe bombs and a tennis ball bomb containing an explosive, black powder and steel ball bearings. None detonated, but police described them as “viable” IEDs.
Authorities have charged Akram with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of causing harm with intent to murder in relation to the wounded survivors and one count of committing a terrorist act.
The antisemitic attack at the start of the eight-day Hanukkah celebration was Australia's worst mass shooting since a lone gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania state in 1996.
The New South Wales government introduced draft laws to Parliament on Monday that Premier Chris Minns said would become the toughest in Australia.
The new restrictions would include making Australian citizenship a condition of qualifying for a firearms license. That would have excluded Sajid Akram, who was an Indian citizen with a permanent resident visa.
Sajid Akram also legally owned six rifles and shotguns. A new legal limit for recreational shooters would be a maximum of four guns.
Police said a video found on Naveed Akram's phone shows him with his father "reciting their political and religious views and appear to summarise their justification for the Bondi terrorist attack.”
The men are seen in the video “condemning the acts of Zionists” while they also “adhere to a religiously motivated ideology linked to the Islamic State,” police said.
Video shot in October shows them “firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner” on grassland surrounded by trees, police said.
“There is evidence that the Accused and his father meticulously planned this terrorist attack for many months,” police allege.
