Undercover police investigating the murder of a 13-year-old girl in British Columbia disguised themselves as tea marketers to secretly collect the DNA of about 150 Kurdish community members, court recordings reveal. DNA testing is preformed at a lab in New York, Tuesday, April 15, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Bebeto Matthews
VANCOUVER – British Columbia Premier David Eby says he supports police who secretly collected DNA from members of the Kurdish community to solve the murder of a 13-year-old girl, saying he “really struggles” with the idea they should not have done so.
Eby says the victim’s rights were “profoundly and unalterably violated” by her killer, and police actions made the community safe from a predator.
His remarks come after The Canadian Press revealed that police posed as tea marketers to collect DNA from about 150 Kurdish community members without their permission at a 2018 festival.
The operation ultimately led to the arrest of Ibrahim Ali, who was convicted last month of first-degree murder for the 2017 killing of the girl, who can’t be named because of a publication ban.
More coming.
