Almost four decades after the horrific bombing of Air India Flight 182, which claimed 329 lives, Canadian authorities have finally identified the mysterious “Mr X” — a man involved in testing the bomb used in the attack. But in a bitter twist for victims’ families, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed that the man had died recently, never facing justice for his role in Canada’s worst act of terrorism.
The revelation comes days before the 40th anniversary of the June 23, 1985 tragedy, which remains a painful symbol of Khalistani extremism and Canada’s intelligence failures. Orchestrated by Khalistani terrorists, the bomb brought down the Montreal-to-Mumbai flight off the coast of Ireland. Most of those killed were Canadian citizens of Indian origin.
Speaking at a memorial event in British Columbia, RCMP Assistant Commissioner David Teboul confirmed that the long-unidentified “Mr X” had been located through persistent investigation but had died before he could be charged. Citing privacy laws, Teboul did not name the suspect.
“Mr X” was known to have travelled with Babbar Khalsa leader Talwinder Singh Parmar to Duncan, B.C., on June 4, 1985 — just weeks before the bombing — to meet Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only person ever convicted in the case. Together, they tested an explosive device in nearby woods.
Shockingly, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) agents who overheard the test blast mistook it for gunfire and failed to intervene, a blunder that continues to draw criticism.
Parmar was later killed by Punjab Police in 1992, and Reyat served prison time for bomb-making and perjury. But “Mr X” remained unidentified and unaccounted for — until now.
Though a new trial is unlikely, the RCMP insists that it will continue seeking the full truth behind the attack. “The Kanishka bombing remains the darkest chapter in Canada’s fight against terrorism,” Teboul said, pledging that the memory of the victims will never be forgotten.
