Politics
Canada wants to withhold ‘sensitive’ information from trial over Sikh leader’s killing TenX News
Canada’s justice department is fighting to prevent “sensitive” national security information from emerging at the upcoming murder trial of four Indian men accused of gunning down a B.C. Sikh leader in 2023.
In an application to the Federal Court, lawyers representing the Attorney General of Canada asked for permission to withhold some evidence at the prosecution of the alleged killers of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Court documents released to Global News do not specify which details they are seeking to keep confidential, but they argued that releasing them “would be injurious to international relations and national security.”
The case against the suspected killers of the Sikh temple president is being closely watched because of allegations the government of India ordered the murder as part of a campaign to silence its political opponents abroad.
The claims, first made public in September 2023 by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, set off a diplomatic rift between Canada and India. Ottawa later expel Indian diplomats and consular officials from the country.
Since taking office, Prime Minister Mark Carney has reengaged with India and sought to expand trade relations. Canadian Sikhs have called that a betrayal, given India’s alleged targeting of them.
It is not unusual for federal lawyers to ask a judge to allow them to refrain from disclosing national security information in trials. Often, it occurs when the information in question was provided by a foreign agency.
“In Canada, the Attorney General has the power to apply to the Federal Court for an order to, in essence, protect certain types of information from being released publicly and to the defence,” said University of Calgary law professor Michael Nesbitt.
“Such applications are neither unusual nor uncommon, and are governed by law and court oversight, while the defence has the opportunity to challenge the application,” said Nesbitt, a leading national security law expert.
“We see this sort of application a lot in the anti-terrorism and national security realm, but often also with respect to cases where it is necessary to protect information associated with undercover operators, informants, or information received from Canada’s allies where such international cooperation has occurred.”
Canadian Justice officials filed their court application on Dec. 24, 2025.
A Department of Justice spokesperson said the Attorney General of Canada was seeking an order under a section of the Canada Evidence Act “confirming the prohibition of disclosure of certain information.”
“We cannot provide further detail at this time.”
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The B.C. Prosecution Service, which is prosecuting the four accused, declined to comment on the Federal Court case. A spokesperson said the case was in the pretrial phase, which is subject to a publication ban.
Nijjar was shot dead in his pickup truck on June 18, 2023, as he was leaving Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Temple. The RCMP believes India tapped mob boss Lawrence Bishnoi to arrange the killing.
In May 2024, the two suspected shooters, Amandeep Singh and Karanpreet Singh, the alleged getaway driver Karan Brar and a fourth suspect, Kamalpreet Singh, were arrested in Alberta and Ontario.
They have been charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Neither Lawrence Bishnoi, who is imprisoned in India, nor his Canadian lieutenant at the time, Goldy Brar, have been charged in the murder.
The lawyers representing Amandeep Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Karan Brar, declined to comment on the matter. Kamalpreet Singh’s lawyer did not respond to emails from Global News.
India has said it has seen no evidence of its role in the plot.
India citizens Karan Brar, left to right, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh, as well as Amandeep Singh (not shown) have been charged with the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, RCMP
A Canadian citizen who immigrated from India, Nijjar was a leader in the Khalistan separatist movement that seeks independence for India’s Sikh majority Punjab state. Although India called him a terrorist, he faced no charges in Canada.
At the time he was killed, Nijjar was organizing a symbolic referendum that asked members of the Sikh diaspora if they supported Khalistan independence. The other suspected targets of India’s campaign were also mostly Khalistan activists.
The initial tip implicating high-level Indian officials in the killing came from communications intercepted by the United Kingdom and shared with Canada by British intelligence, sources have told Global News.
Conversations mentioning targets in Canada were also picked up by the FBI during its investigation into a similar plot in which an Indian intelligence officer hired a criminal to kill a pro-Khalistan activist in the U.S.
Such intelligence is often shared with allies on the understanding that it cannot be used in court, said national security law expert Leah West, an associate professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs in Ottawa.
“It is typical, in cases where the police receive information from other intelligence services during an investigation, for the Attorney General to seek to have that information protected from disclosure,” she said.
“The basis for seeking to withhold it is referred to as national security privilege. The argument for that is that if disclosed, the information could reveal means and methods, investigative interests, or personnel of the service and doing so would be detrimental to Canadian national security.”
A judge has to confirm the privilege, she said. In addition, the information in question can’t be used against an accused, and anything that could point to the innocence of a defendant must be disclosed, she added.
State actors such as China, India and Iran have long sought to intimidate and silence members of Canada’s diaspora communities, a practice known as transnational repression.
“Transnational repression is emerging as one of the most serious yet least understood threats to security and democracy in Canada,” said a report released on Tuesday by the Montreal Institute for Global Security.
“As foreign states increasingly target individuals on Canadian soil, through intimidation, surveillance, digital harassment, coercion of family members abroad, and, in some cases, plans for physical harm, Canada faces a challenge that strikes at the core of its democratic values and institutions.”
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
Politics
Former prince Andrew ‘released under investigation’ 11 hours after arrest – National TenX News
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince who was stripped of his royal titles because of his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was released from police custody on Thursday.
Andrew was arrested earlier Thursday, his 66th birthday, on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations he sent confidential government documents to Epstein.
He left Aylsham Police Station after approximately 11 hours in custody, where he had been questioned all day by detectives from Thames Valley Police.
Thames Valley Police said a man in his 60s from Norfolk in eastern England was arrested on Thursday. The force, which covers areas west of London, including Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home, did not identify the suspect — in line with standard procedures in Britain — but pointed to the statement when asked to confirm if the former prince was arrested.
In a followup statement, Thames Valley Police said the “arrested man has now been released under investigation.”
Police said they had finished searching Mountbatten-Windsor’s home, but officers were still searching his former residence near Windsor Castle.
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A Reuters photograph, taken after Mountbatten-Windsor’s release, shows him sitting low inside a car leaving the station near his home on the royal Sandringham Estate.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, younger brother of Britain’s King Charles, formerly known as Prince Andrew, leaves Aylsham Police Station in a vehicle on the day he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
REUTERS/Phil Noble
Police previously said they were “assessing” reports that Mountbatten-Windsor sent trade information to Epstein, a wealthy investor and convicted sex offender, in 2010, when the former prince was Britain’s special envoy for international trade. Correspondence between the two men was released by the U.S. Justice Department late last month, along with millions of pages of documents from the American investigation into Epstein.
While Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with his friendship with Epstein, concerns about his links to the late financier have dogged the Royal Family for more than a decade.
At the time of Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, Assistant Chief Const. Oliver Wright said: “Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office.
“It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence,” he added.
“We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.”
Hours after Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested, his brother King Charles II released a statement, saying, “I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office.”
“What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities,” Charles said in a statement on Thursday.
“In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation. Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,” he continued. “As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter.”
“Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.”
Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest was the first time in nearly four centuries that a senior British royal was placed under arrest, and it underscored how deference to the monarchy has eroded in recent years.
The allegations being investigated Thursday are separate from those made by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked to Britain to have sex with the prince in 2001, when she was just 17. Giuffre died by suicide last year.
Still, Giuffre’s family praised the arrest, saying that their “broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty.”
The family added: “He was never a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”
— With files from The Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second American aircraft carrier drew closer to the Middle East, with both the United States and Iran signaling they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran’s nuclear program fizzle out.
President Donald Trump has said he hopes to reach a deal with Iran, but the talks have been deadlocked for years, and Iran has refused to discuss wider U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups. Indirect talks held in recent weeks made little visible progress, and one or both sides could be buying time for final war preparations.
Iran’s theocracy is more vulnerable than ever, following 12 days of Israeli and U.S. strikes on its nuclear sites and military last year, as well as mass protests in January that were violently suppressed. But it is still capable of striking Israel and U.S. bases in the region, and has warned that any attack would trigger a regional war.
Iran earlier this week launched a drill that involved live-fire in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow opening of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes.
Tensions are also rising inside Iran, as mourners hold ceremonies honoring slain protesters 40 days after their killing by security forces. Some gatherings have seen anti-government chants despite threats from authorities.
Trump again threatens Iran
The movements of additional American warships and airplanes, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier near the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea, don’t guarantee a U.S. strike on Iran — but it bolsters Trump’s ability to carry out one should he choose to do so.
He has so far held off on striking Iran after setting red lines over the killing of peaceful protesters and mass executions, while reengaging in nuclear talks that were disrupted by the war in June.
Iran has agreed to draw up a written proposal to address U.S. concerns raised during this week’s indirect nuclear talks in Geneva, according to a senior U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
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The official said top national security officials gathered Wednesday to discuss Iran, and were briefed that the “full forces” needed to carry out potential military action are expected to be in place by mid-March. The official did not provide a timeline for when Iran is expected to deliver its written response.
“It’s proven to be, over the years, not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran, and we have to make a meaningful deal. Otherwise bad things happen,” Trump said Thursday.
Growing international concern
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged his nation’s citizens to immediately leave Iran as “within a few, a dozen, or even a few dozen hours, the possibility of evacuation will be out of the question.” He did not elaborate, and the Polish Embassy in Tehran did not appear to be drawing down its staff.
The German military said that it had moved “a mid-two digit number of non-mission critical personnel” out of a base in northern Iraq because of the current situation in the region and in line with its partners’ actions. It said that some troops remain to help keep the multinational camp running in Irbil, where they train Iraqi forces.
“This week, another 50 U.S. combat aircraft — F-35s, F-22s, and F-16s — were ordered to the region, supplementing the hundreds deployed to bases in the Arab Gulf states,” the New York-based Soufan Center think tank wrote. “The deployments reinforce Trump’s threat — restated on a nearly daily basis — to proceed with a major air and missile campaign on the regime if talks fail.”
Iran holds drill with Russia
Iranian forces and Russian sailors conducted the annual drills in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean aimed at “upgrading operational coordination as well as exchange of military experiences,” Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Footage later released by Iran showed members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s naval special forces board a vessel in the exercise. Those forces are believed to have been used in the past to seize vessels in key international waterways.
Iran also issued a rocket-fire warning to pilots in the region, suggesting it planned to launch anti-ship missiles in the exercise.
Meanwhile, tracking data showed the Ford off the coast of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean midday Wednesday, meaning the carrier could transit through Gibraltar and potentially station in the eastern Mediterranean with its supporting guided-missile destroyers.
Once it arrives in the region, it would be able to help protect Israel and Jordan if war breaks out. The U.S. used similar assets to protect Israel during recent confrontations linked to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Israel is making its own preparations for possible Iranian missile strikes in response to any U.S. action.
“We are prepared for any scenario,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday, adding that if Iran attacks Israel, “they will experience a response they cannot even imagine.”
Netanyahu, who met with Trump last week, long has pushed for tougher U.S. action against Iran and says any deal should not only end its nuclear program but curb its missile arsenal and force it to cut ties with militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Iran has said the current talks should only focus on its nuclear program, and that it hasn’t been enriching uranium since the U.S. and Israeli strikes last summer. Trump said at the time that the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites, but the exact damage is unknown as Tehran has barred international inspectors.
Iran has always insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, while the U.S. and others suspect it is aimed at eventually developing weapons. Israel is widely believed to have nuclear weapons but has neither confirmed nor denied that.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
Politics
Virginia Giuffre’s family responds to Andrew arrest: ‘He was never a prince’ – National TenX News
Relatives of the late Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s most outspoken victims, thanked British authorities Thursday after the former Prince Andrew was arrested on his 66th birthday for suspected misconduct while in public office.
Giuffre said she was forced by the convicted sex offender and his aide, Ghislaine Maxwell — who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for child sex trafficking offences — to have sex with the disgraced royal when she was a teenager.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (his public name once he was stripped of his royal titles by his brother, King Charles III) has consistently denied Giuffre’s accusations.
“At last, today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty,” Giuffre’s siblings said in a statement.
“On behalf of our sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we extend our gratitude to the U.K.’s Thames Valley Police for their investigation, and the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor,” Sky and Amanda Roberts and Danny and Lanette Wilson said.
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“He was never a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”
Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025, shortly before the publication of her memoir, Nobody’s Girl. She was 41.
She alleged that Mountbatten-Windsor sexually assaulted her while she was underage.
A photo showing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Virginia Giuffre together.
U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals
Giuffre publicly shared her experiences in interviews and lawsuits for more than 16 years before her death, and said the book enabled her to tell her story “in a way that provides context where it has been sorely lacking.”
In a 2021 lawsuit filed in New York, Giuffre said the alleged assault by Mountbatten-Windsor was organized by Epstein, who she claimed trafficked her to the former prince on several occasions.
Mountbatten-Windsor denied the allegations but reached an out-of-court settlement with her in 2022.
Earlier this month, Thames Valley Police confirmed they were examining claims that Mountbatten-Windsor shared trade secrets with Epstein in 2010.
The department had previously said it was evaluating allegations that Epstein flew a young woman to the U.K. to have sex with Andrew the same year.
In a statement, King Charles expressed “his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct.”
“While the specific claims in question are for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police, we stand ready to support them as you would expect,” the palace continued.
On Thursday, Thames Valley Police said a man in his 60s from Norfolk, in eastern England, was arrested and remained in custody.
The force, which covers areas west of London, including Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home, did not identify the suspect — in line with standard procedures in Britain — but pointed to the statement when asked to confirm if Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested.
Mountbatten-Windsor moved to King Charles’ estate in Norfolk after he was evicted from his longtime home near Windsor Castle earlier this month.
After the arrest, the King said the law must take its course in the investigation of his brother.
“I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office. What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation,” he said in a statement issued by Buckingham Palace on Thursday.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Former prince Andrew ‘released under investigation’ 11 hours after arrest – National TenX News
Trump warns of ‘bad things’ if Iran doesn’t make a deal – National TenX News
Virginia Giuffre’s family responds to Andrew arrest: ‘He was never a prince’ – National TenX News
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