Canada frees bomber Inderjit Singh |
After serving two decades behind bars, Inderjit Singh Reyat is now free. He was the only person convicted in the 1985 Air India – Kanishka – bombings that killed nearly 331 people, Canada’s parole board said today. Following his release from prison a year ago, Reyat had been ordered to live at a halfway house after serving two decades behind bars. Canada’s parole board spokesperson Patrick Storey told AFP in an email that the condition has now been revoked and Reyat may return to a normal life, including “living in a private residence”. A Sikh immigrant from India, Reyat was convicted of making bombs that were planted inside luggage and put on on two planes departing from Vancouver, and for lying in court to cover for his co- accused.One out of two bombs ripped apart Air India Flight 182 – Kanishka – as it neared the coast of Ireland, wiping out all 329 people on board. The second bomb went off at Japan’s Narita airport, killing two baggage handlers as they transferred cargo to another Air India plane. The blasts triggered a massive crackdown on Sikh militants, as those behind the incident were allegedly seeking revenge for the Golden Temple operation. Reyat, who worked as a mechanic in westernmost Canada, had purchased the batteries, detonators and dynamite used to make the bombs.
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