CSIS says Khalistani extremists bombed 1985 Air India flight

In a significant shift after more than four decades, Canada’s intelligence agency has for the first time explicitly attributed the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 to Canada-based Khalistani extremists. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) made the statement in a social media post marking the 41st anniversary of the attack, which killed all 329 people on board and remains the deadliest terrorist act in Canadian history.

The agency described the June 23, 1985, bombing as a "heinous act of terror," stating the aircraft was destroyed by a bomb planted by Canada-based Khalistani extremists. The Boeing 747, named "Emperor Kanishka," was en route from Montreal to London and onward to Delhi when it exploded over the Atlantic Ocean near the Irish coast. Most of the victims were Canadian citizens, many of Indian origin.

The acknowledgment marks a departure from Canada’s historical public stance, which had avoided directly naming the Khalistani movement in official references to the attack. India has long maintained that the bombing was carried out by Khalistani extremists operating from Canadian soil, a point of persistent diplomatic tension.