In a first in 40 years, Canada accepts Khalistani terrorists were behind Air India Kanishka bombing | World

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has, for the first time in over four decades, officially acknowledged that Canada-based Khalistani extremists were responsible for the bombing of Air India Flight 182, popularly known as the Kanishka, in 1985.

Calling it a “heinous act of terror”, Canada’s intelligence agency said the aircraft was destroyed by a bomb planted by Khalistani terrorists operating from Canada.

“On this National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism, CSIS remembers the 329 people on Air India Flight 182 who lost their lives due to a heinous act of terror. On June 23, 1985, a bomb planted by Canada-based Khalistani extremists destroyed the aircraft, killing everyone on board, most of them Canadians. It remains the deadliest terrorist attack in Canada’s history and a defining moment for our national security community,” the agency said in a Facebook post.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also paid tribute to the victims, describing the Kanishka bombing as “the deadliest terrorist attack in our country’s history” and reaffirming Canada’s commitment to tackling violent extremism.

“Forty-one years ago today, the bombing of Air India Flight 182 claimed 329 innocent lives, including 268 Canadians. It remains the deadliest terrorist attack in Canada’s history,” Carney said in a statement.

Air India Flight 182 bombing

Air India Flight 182 was travelling from Montreal to New Delhi via London on June 23, 1985, when a bomb concealed inside a checked suitcase exploded mid-air over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Ireland. The blast occurred around 45 minutes before the aircraft was due to land at London’s Heathrow Airport, killing all 329 passengers and crew on board.

The victims included 268 Canadian citizens, most of Indian origin, and 24 Indian nationals. Search and rescue teams recovered only 131 bodies from the ocean.

Canadian investigators concluded that the bombing was orchestrated by Khalistani extremists in retaliation for Operation Blue Star, the Indian Army’s 1984 operation to flush out armed militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The explosives were later traced to a suitcase checked in by a passenger who never boarded the flight.

The Kanishka bombing remains the deadliest act of terrorism in Canadian history and has long been a major source of friction in India-Canada relations, with New Delhi repeatedly raising concerns over extremist activities originating from Canadian soil.

However, bilateral ties have shown signs of improvement since Mark Carney took office as Canada’s prime minister earlier this year, with both countries taking steps to restore diplomatic engagement after relations deteriorated sharply under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

Also read: Videos depict panic, destruction, and horror after two earthquakes rattle Venezuela