Canada PM Carney Vows To ‘Fight Violent Extremism’ On 40th Anniversary Of Air India Kanishka Bombing

<p>Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the Air India Flight 182 Kanishka bombing 40 years ago is a &ldquo;sombre reminder of our commitment to fight violent extremism and keep Canadians safe.&rdquo; Carney’s comments coincided with the 40th anniversary of the deadly Kanishka bombing, memorial events for which were held across Canada, including at the Air India monument at Dow’s Lake here, by community members, Indian missions among others on Monday.</p>
<p>The Montreal-London-New Delhi Air India ‘Kanishka’ Flight 182 exploded 45 minutes before it was supposed to land at UK’s Heathrow Airport on June 23, 1985, due to a bomb planted by Canada-based terrorists, killing all 329 people on board. At least 280 were Canadians, with most of them of Indian descent.</p>
<p>&ldquo;40 years ago, Canada faced the deadliest terrorist attack in its history. Today, we mourn the 268 Canadian victims of the Air India bombing and all who have been killed in acts of terrorism &mdash; a sombre reminder of our commitment to fight violent extremism and keep Canadians safe,&rdquo; Carney said in a post on X.</p>
<p>Foreign Minister Anita Anand too expressed solidarity through a post on X: &ldquo;This terrorist attack stands as the deadliest in our country&rsquo;s history &ndash; one we must never forget. We remember the victims and our thoughts are with their loved ones who have mourned for decades.&rdquo; &ldquo;Canada will continue to work with our allies and partners to better detect, prevent, and respond to the threats and impacts of terrorism and violent extremism,&rdquo; she added.</p>
<p>Earlier, Carney said Canada&rsquo;s new government &ldquo;unequivocally&rdquo; stands against terrorism and described the Air India Flight 182 Kanishka bombing terror attack 40 years ago as the &ldquo;deadliest attack in our country&rsquo;s history.&rdquo; &ldquo;Forty years ago, innocent civilians, including 268 Canadians, were killed in the bombing of Air India Flight 182. This terrorist attack remains the deadliest attack in our country&rsquo;s history &ndash; one we must never forget,&rdquo; the prime minister said in a statement.</p>
<p>In Ottawa, a ceremony was held on Monday to mark the 40th anniversary of the Air India attack at the Air India monument at Dow&rsquo;s Lake with victims’ families, friends and other community members remembering those lost.</p>
<p>Among those present was Susheel Gupta, Director, Air India Victims’ Families Association, who was just 12 when he lost his mother in the tragic crash.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It was very tragic for my family and all the families. A lot of grief, a lot of trauma, a lot of pain. It is important to be here not only to remember our loved ones but to remind Candians that terrorism is something that happens in Canada,&rdquo; he told CTV News.</p>
<p>The Indian missions in Canada too organised memorial events at Ottawa and Toronto.</p>
<p>At Ottawa, the Acting High Commissioner Chinmoy Naik paid homage to the victims of what the High Commission statement described as &ldquo;the cowardly terrorist bombing.&rdquo; Addressing the gathering, Naik highlighted how the tragedy reminds us of the continuing threat posed by terrorism and violent extremism. Citing the barbaric terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, the need for zero tolerance against terrorism was underlined, the High Commission said.</p>
<p>Family members of the victims; three Ottawa region MPs Yasir Naqvi, Mona Fortier and Marie-France Lalonde; Canadian government senior representatives from Public Safety, Global Affairs, Transport Canada; Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) &amp; Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS); representatives of UK, Ireland, US Embassy; and more than 100 members of the Indo-Canadian community attended the solemn occasion, the High Commission said in its social media posting.</p>
<p>In Toronto, Acting Consul General Kapidhwaja Pratap Singh laid a wreath in solemn remembrance of the 329 victims at the Air India 182 Memorial in Humber Bay Park, Etobicoke.</p>
<p>Singh expressed his condolences and solidarity with the families of the victims, the Indian Mission in Toronto said in a post on X.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, police in British Columbia said a suspect known as ‘Mr X’ who is believed to have helped test a bomb before the 1985 Air India terror attack has died before facing charges, according to CBC News.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The statement from the RCMP’s Pacific Region comes as families commemorate the 40th anniversary of the attack,&rdquo; it said, adding, police said in an email that investigators had &ldquo;uncovered information related to a suspect they believe was involved in testing an explosive device prior to the Air India terrorist attack on June 23, 1985.&rdquo; RCMP are not naming the suspect, saying the evidence was not sufficient to unequivocally confirm the identification of the person who has since died, the CBC News added.</p>
<p><em><strong>(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)</strong></em></p>