More than four decades after the bombing of Air India Flight 182, Canada’s primary intelligence agency has, for the first time, publicly and explicitly attributed the 1985 terrorist attack to Canada-based Khalistani extremists.
In a Facebook post marking the 40th anniversary of the tragedy, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) stated that the bomb which destroyed the aircraft on June 23, 1985, had been planted by “Canada-based Khalistani extremists.”
“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.
The bombing of Air India Flight 182 claimed the lives of all 329 people on board, the majority of whom were Canadian citizens of Indian origin. It remains the deadliest act of terrorism in Canadian history.
The statement marks a significant shift in Ottawa’s public messaging. While India has consistently maintained since the attack that the bombing was carried out by Khalistani extremists operating from Canada, successive Canadian governments and official public commemorations had generally refrained from explicitly identifying the Khalistani movement in memorial statements.
The CSIS acknowledgment comes at a time when concerns over extremist activities and bilateral tensions between India and Canada have remained in focus. By directly naming Canada-based Khalistani extremists as responsible for planting the bomb, Canada’s intelligence agency has publicly aligned its description of the attack with findings long associated with the investigation into one of the world’s deadliest acts of aviation terrorism.
