'Totally Spies'? Users Giggle Nervously as Canadian Spy Agency Welcomes Two Citizens Home From China

On Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the release of "the two Michaels" - Kovrig and Spavor - from China. The two Canadian citizens were accused of espionage by Beijing - something that Ottawa denied.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) joined many other Canadians in welcoming two fellow citizens, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, back home after they were released from China.

The gesture prompted some cackles online due to the irony of a spy agency welcoming people who were accused by Beijing of espionage, especially given that Canada actively denied these accusations.

"Welcome home, #Michaels", CSIS tweeted, using the viral hashtag dedicated to the release of the two. "CSIS joins all Canadians in welcoming you back to Canada".

Even though the greeting by CSIS does not automatically make someone a spy, users still laughed about the optics that the tweet could imply.

So Canada’s spy agency welcomes the Michaels who the Chinese claimed (and Canada denied) were spying. Don’t we even hide these things anymore?

— Inder Singh (@inderps) September 25, 2021

Good to get one of your fellow spies back eh? 😂

— Jon Benet Rammstein (@JonBeRammstein) September 25, 2021

One user even made a reference to a classic animated series about spies.

pic.twitter.com/dDISvx33Or

— Dan (@dankgdl) September 25, 2021

Some people apparently were even more serious than others.

Spy caught red handed and is confirmed by Canada regime lmao.

— Covid from Fort Detrick (@OminousMor) September 25, 2021

The two Michaels were accused of espionage in Beijing, with Chinese authorities detaining them in 2018 shortly after the arrest of Huawei's CFO, Meng Wanzhou.

Many saw the move as retaliation for the arrest of Wanzhou, who, for her part, faced fraud charges in 2018 at the request of the United States, with Washington believing that she had been circumventing American sanctions. China, infuriated by the arrest of the Huawei CFO, nevertheless denied that the conviction of the two Michaels - both of whom had spent 1,000 days in detention before their release - was in any way connected with the case.

Both Kovrig and Spavor left China on Friday. Wanzhou, in turn, has also left Canada. This follows the US Department of Justice (DOJ) saying it had reached a deferred prosecution agreement, meaning that Washington will refrain from prosecuting her until December 2022.