RCMP closes Air India bombing investigation after 41 years with no new leads
Families of the 331 killed in the 1985 attacks are devastated. The RCMP told them the case is inactive and asked them for tips.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
The RCMP has told families of the 331 people killed in the Air India bombings that its investigation is inactive with no new investigative leads to pursue.
About 40 relatives met with RCMP investigators near Toronto's Pearson Airport on September 12. The investigators, who flew from B.C., confirmed the investigation was "inactive." The most shocking moment came when the RCMP asked families to provide them with tips police could pursue — reversing the usual dynamic of an active investigation.
On June 23, 1985, two B.C.-made bombs detonated. Air India Flight 182, travelling from Canada to India via London, exploded off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 aboard. The same day, a second B.C.-made bomb destined for another Air India flight exploded at Tokyo's Narita Airport, killing two baggage handlers.
Sanjay Lazar, who lost his whole family in the Flight 182 bombing and lives in Pune, India, was blunt in an interview Friday: "What police agency gives up after 41 years?" He has written to Prime Minister Mark Carney expressing his disgust. "As the son of my late parents, and the last surviving member of that family, I feel duty bound to express my disgust, hurt and anger at the expressed intention of the RCMP to wind down the Air India Bombing investigations," his letter said. Lazar suggested the case should be handed to "others who may be more capable."
Two B.C. men linked to the Babbar Khalsa terrorist group were acquitted on all counts in 2005. Inderjit Singh Reyat was convicted of manslaughter in both bombings and is now out of prison. A judicial inquiry exposed investigative and intelligence failures by the RCMP and CSIS both before and after the attacks.
Bob Rae, Canada's former UN ambassador who did a preliminary Air India inquiry in 2005, called the message to families "deeply regrettable." He said Friday: "It's a terrible signal. The fact that 331 people were killed, and that it was clearly a terrorist attack means that this is a file that never closes, and it can't possibly close because they still haven't found enough about who else could have been responsible for what took place."
Why is the RCMP declaring the investigation inactive when suspects tied to the bombings may still be alive?
What active reward, if any, is still being offered for information?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
By the numbers
How many people died in the Air India bombings on June 23, 1985?
331 people were killed across two attacks. Air India Flight 182 exploded off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 aboard, and a second bomb at Tokyo's Narita Airport killed two baggage handlers.
When did the RCMP tell families the investigation was inactive?
About 40 relatives met with RCMP investigators near Toronto's Pearson Airport on September 12, 2026, when the investigators confirmed the investigation was inactive.
What convictions or acquittals have resulted from the Air India bombing investigation?
Two B.C. men linked to the Babbar Khalsa terrorist group were acquitted on all counts in 2005. Inderjit Singh Reyat was convicted of manslaughter in both bombings and has since been released from prison.
