RCMP report says Bishnoi gang ‘acting on behalf of’ Indian government
An Indian gang accused of extortion and murder-for-hire in Canada has been “acting on behalf of the Indian government,” according to an RCMP document obtained by Global News.
Stewart Bell
While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Stewart Bell.
The assassination target ‘betrayed’ by Carney’s India policy
For more than three years, Moninder Singh has been living each day knowing he could be assassinated. Police have advised the Canadian-born activist no less than three times they believed he was about to be killed. As recently as March, police notified him of an imminent threat to his life and, in April, suggested he avoid public events. The warnings...
As Carney resumes diplomatic ties, India accused of renewed threats to Canadians
The RCMP has warned a prominent Sikh activist that his life is in danger, fuelling concerns that India is continuing to target Canadians while Ottawa seeks improved trade ties with the South Asian power.
Public safety minister’s phone number was in document seized during 2006 terror finance probe
Gary Anandasangaree’s phone number was found in a document seized when RCMP national security officers searched a suspected Tamil Tigers fundraising office in 2006, records obtained by Global News show. The police search took place nine years before Anandasangaree became a Liberal Member of Parliament, during a counter-terrorism investigation into a suspected money-collection scheme by Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers.
Conservatives call for inquiry into ‘appalling’ government spending on Canadian ISIS women
The Conservatives are calling for an inquiry into the government’s “appalling” expenditures on Canadian ISIS women returning home from Syria. A letter signed by Tory MPs on Friday asked the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security to convene immediately to deal with the matter. The move came after Global News reported that declassified documents showed Ottawa spent at...
Wine, candy and room service: How Ottawa spent $170,000 on Canadian ISIS women
Federal officials spent at least $170,000 bringing Canadian ISIS women home from Syria, according to internal government documents that show expenses for ice cream, candy and wine. The money was for costs incurred when eight women who had traveled to the Middle East to join the Islamic State returned to Canada with their children in 2022 and 2023.
Extremist influencers ‘weaponizing femininity,’ warns Canadian intelligence report
Women’s workout routines that devolve into anti-government rhetoric. Makeup tutorials with anti-feminist commentary. Personal finance videos that blame immigrants for stealing jobs.
Wife of terror group ‘member’ backed by public safety minister does not live in his riding: documents
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree’s claim that he was helping a constituent when he lobbied federal officials to let a terrorist group “member” resettle in Canada is contradicted by documents on the case, a Global News investigation has found. In defending letters he wrote before he joined cabinet that urged border security officials to approve the immigration application of a...
Prime Minister Carney says he still has confidence in public safety minister
Prime Minister Mark Carney stood by his public safety minister on Wednesday, saying Gary Anandasangaree had been open about his support for the immigration of a suspected terrorist group member. “The public safety minister has been transparent about the details of that situation and he has my confidence,” Carney said after announcing measures to protect Canada’s steel industry.
Before joining cabinet, public safety minister wrote immigration support letters for terror group ‘member’
Before he was appointed to the federal cabinet two years ago, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree wrote letters urging Canadian officials to approve the immigration application of a man they had determined was a member of a terrorist organization. The letters, dated 2023 and 2016, were written on Anandasangaree’s House of Commons letterhead and sent to the Canada Border Services...
CSIS issues espionage alert about suspect seeking sensitive information for Chinese intelligence
Canadian intelligence officials have warned federal departments about an individual they believe is trying to obtain sensitive information for China’s spy services, Global News has learned. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service confirmed on Friday that it had issued an “espionage advisory” to government departments and universities, notifying them about the person.
India, Iran using crime groups to target opponents in Canada, CSIS report says
Foreign governments are using crime groups to go after political opponents in Canada, the country’s intelligence service said in its annual report released Wednesday. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service said it had detected “a concerning trend of states leveraging organized crime networks to conduct threat activity.”
Indian agent had Jagmeet Singh under close surveillance
A suspected Indian government agent had Jagmeet Singh under close surveillance, prompting the RCMP to place the New Democratic Party leader in police protection 18 months ago, sources have told Global News. The agent, who is allegedly tied to activities directed by the Indian government, had access to intimate knowledge of Singh’s daily routines, travel and family, according to the...
Public safety minister recuses himself from files on 2 terrorist groups
The cabinet minister leading Prime Minister Mark Carney’s border security push said Tuesday he is recusing himself from files related to a Sri Lankan terrorist group and its Canadian front organization. In a statement sent to Global News on Tuesday, the office of Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said he had stepped back from “any matter related to the Liberation...
Public safety minister asks officials to ‘screen’ him from conflict of interest
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree has stepped back from national security decisions related to the “Tamil community,” he has acknowledged in a statement to Global News.The announcement from the minister leading the government’s initiative to secure Canada’s borders amidst U.S. pressure gave little detail on what he has deemed off-limits or why.
Conservative candidate target of election ‘repression operation,’ task force says
A Conservative candidate critical of Hong Kong laws is the target of a “transnational repression operation,” Canada’s election interference task force said on Monday.
The Modi ‘friends’ who helped finance Poilievre’s leadership campaign
Two months into his 2022 leadership campaign, Pierre Poilievre spoke at the home of Aditya Tawatia, a politically active Vancouver realtor. “Delighted to host the next Prime Minister of Canada,” Tawatia wrote on X, adding his mother had “blessed” Poilievre’s campaign.
Latest accused Iran official caught in Canada sues immigration department
The latest suspected senior Iranian official caught in Canada sued the immigration department and enlisted a Liberal MP’s office as part of her fight to stay in the country, government records show. After arriving in Canada as a tourist, Elham Zandi applied for a work permit, and when officials investigated her past, she complained to the courts about the delay...
Investigation: Visas have become an Indian foreign interference tool
Hoping to attend a family gathering and visit his ailing grandfather, Bikramjit Singh Sandhar submitted a visa application to the government of India in 2016. The visa was denied.
ISIS arrests are spiking in Canada and youths are driving the resurgence
On June 15, 2023, police searched a Calgary home and found an ISIS flag, three knives, bomb-making instructions and ideological tracts on killing gay men. “I’m a member of ISIS,” the owner of the materials, Zakarya Rida Hussein, had written on Snapchat as he planned an attack during the city’s month-long Pride celebrations. “Tomorrow my mission begins. It’s pride month.”...
Teens accused of plotting to bomb pro-Israel rally on Parliament Hill
Two Ottawa teens allegedly plotted to bomb a pro-Israel rally on Parliament Hill before they were arrested by the RCMP, according to documents obtained by Global News. The boys, both minors, were arrested in December and February over what police called a terrorist plot against the Ottawa Jewish community.
India’s crimes in Canada and the politician allegedly behind them
Fourteen bullets fired at a home near Victoria. An Edmonton building torched by arsonists with a red jerrycan. A 39-year-old found dead in a Winnipeg duplex.
How Indian government agents in Canada targeted Modi’s opponents
Agents working out of India’s high commission in Ottawa and consulates in Vancouver and Toronto were behind dozens of violent crimes across Canada that targeted opponents of the Modi government, Global News has learned. Although on paper they held diplomatic and consular positions, the Indian agents played key roles in a wave of shootings, killings, threats, arsons and extortions in...
Convicted in U.S. of violating Iran sanctions, brothers adopt new identities in Ontario
Brothers convicted in the United States of helping Iran evade sanctions were allowed to legally adopt new identities in Ontario, records released to Global News show. Amin and Arash Yousefijam were sentenced in Michigan in the fall of 2021 for using shell companies to illegally export sensitive manufacturing equipment to Iran, where they were born. They then returned to Ontario...
‘Salad bar extremism’ has come to Canada, intelligence report says
A new kind of violence known as “salad bar extremism” has come to Canada, warns an internal government report obtained by Global News. The term refers to attacks fuelled by a mix of views rather than a coherent ideology, said the report, which cited the recent Edmonton city hall shooting. “While some extremists are assessed to have a primary motivation...
ISIS suspect came to Canada on student visa in June 2023, minister says
A Pakistani man arrested in Quebec as he was allegedly on his way to New York to conduct a mass shooting at a Jewish centre entered Canada last year on a student visa, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, charged last week in an ISIS terrorism plot, received a student visa in May 2023 and arrived at...
Conservatives call on government to disclose how latest ISIS suspect came to Canada
The Conservatives have called on the government to explain how a 20-year-old Pakistani arrested in Quebec over an alleged ISIS plot targeting U.S. Jews was able to get into Canada. Federal officials have declined to answer questions about the immigration status of Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, citing privacy laws, and said only that they are reviewing how he came to Canada...
Tip about Toronto ISIS plot came from France
The investigation that resulted in the arrests of two Toronto men accused of plotting an attack for ISIS began with a tip from France, sources have told Global News. French authorities allegedly became aware of at least one of the suspects and notified Canada’s intelligence service. Following a brief investigation, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service called in the RCMP, which...
Unsealed documents reveal past of Edmonton terror convict
An Edmonton gas station employee convicted in the U.K. of a terrorism offence came to the attention of the RCMP after returning to Canada from Lebanon in 2017, records obtained by Global News reveal.
Toronto terror arrests raise questions about security screening
The federal government is declining to explain how a Toronto man was able to immigrate to Canada despite allegedly having taken part in ISIS violence overseas. Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, has been charged with committing an aggravated assault for the so-called Islamic State. The alleged incident took place outside Canada in 2015.
Armed reservist who crashed truck into Rideau Hall looking for Trudeau released
A former army reservist who crashed a truck loaded with weapons through the gates of Rideau Hall to confront Prime Minister Justin Trudeau four years ago has been freed on statutory release.
Documents reveal past of B.C. Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s alleged killer
One of the alleged hitmen accused of killing B.C. Sikh temple leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was arrested and released in Surrey, B.C., shortly before the attack, according to court records. Three weeks before Nijjar was gunned down in an ambush that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has linked to the government of India, Surrey RCMP charged Amandeep Singh with fleeing police...
Suspect in killing of temple leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar got student visa in days
One of the suspects accused of gunning down B.C. Sikh temple leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar entered Canada using a study permit that he said took only days to obtain. In a video posted online in 2019, Karan Brar said he applied for a student visa through EthicWorks Immigration Services in Bathinda, in India’s Punjab state. “And in a few days...
Foreign intelligence services are contracting out killings to gangs
The arrests of three suspected hitmen accused of killing a B.C. Sikh leader highlight an emerging security problem: foreign intelligence services are contracting their dirty work to the criminal underworld.
Winnipeg man was member of Chinese military branch behind cyber attacks on Canada, officials allege
A military veteran who spent 20 years in uniform, Lieutenant Colonel Huajie Xu now lives on a quiet street in Winnipeg. But he did not serve in Canada’s armed forces. Instead, he was a member of China’s People’s Liberation Army, according to records obtained by Global News.
Government threat report warns about attacks in Canada inspired by Hamas-Israel conflict
The government’s terrorist threat assessment agency is warning that extremists motivated by the Israel-Hamas conflict could attack crowds at events in Canada. In a series of strategic intelligence briefs issued in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the analysts cautioned about mass violence spilling into this country.
Former Ontario nuclear plant operator employee charged in secretive leak case
A former employee of the Crown corporation that operates Ontario’s nuclear plants has been charged with leaking “safeguarded information” that could harm Canada. In a case unfolding quietly in a courtroom east of Toronto, James Mousaly faces a rare charge under the Security of Information Act
Exclusive: Ukrainian general wants Canada’s 83,000 decommissioned rockets
Ukrainian military leader is asking Canada to hand over tens of thousands of rockets that are awaiting demolition at a Saskatchewan military base. In an exclusive interview with Global News, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov urged the government to let Ukraine have the decommissioned CRV7 rockets. Doing so would help Ukraine fend off Russian forces and save taxpayers the cost of...
Foreign interference networks ‘deeply embedded’ in Canadian politics, CSIS report says
Foreign interference networks are “deeply embedded” in Canadian politics, and operate at every level of government, according to a declassified intelligence report obtained by Global News.
China tried to influence last two federal elections, says report released by CSIS
Canada knows China tried to influence the last two federal elections, according to a top secret briefing report obtained by Global News that said the government “must do more” to fight foreign interference.
Woman ordered deported over Chinese foreign interference
Canadian authorities have issued a deportation order against a Chinese woman on the grounds she was part of Beijing’s foreign interference program.
Senior Iranian official caught in Toronto
Canada has launched a deportation case against a senior Iranian government official found living in Toronto, Global News has learned. Seyed Salman Samani, 42, is facing a deportation hearing under sanctions imposed a year ago against members of Iran’s hardline regime.
Auditors allege Canadian charity helped Hamas financier
A government audit of one of Canada’s largest Muslim charities alleges some of its directors and employees were involved in “an apparent Hamas support network.” Canada Revenue Agency auditors cited the “troubling” allegation as one of the reasons it felt there were grounds to revoke the charity status of the Muslim Association of Canada.