As India commemorates the 40th anniversary of the tragic Air India ‘Kanishka’ bombing that resulted in the loss of 329 lives, Canada has made a significant breakthrough by identifying the elusive bomb-tester known as ‘Mr. X’. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) played a crucial role in advancing the investigation into this devastating incident, which has remained unresolved for decades. The bombing, one of the deadliest in history, occurred on June 23, 1985. This article delves into the fate of ‘Mr. X’ and the details surrounding his identity.

During a memorial event on June 21, RCMP Assistant Commissioner David Teboul announced the death of the enigmatic Mr. X, a revelation made in front of numerous victims' families. The Air India Kanishka bombing stands as a grim chapter in Canadian history, highlighting the threat of Khalistani extremism.

While addressing the attendees, Teboul confirmed Mr. X's demise but refrained from revealing his name due to privacy regulations. He emphasized that despite the acquittal of primary suspects in 2005, investigators remained relentless in their pursuit of the truth, diligently following every lead and addressing all unresolved aspects of the case.

This relentless investigation ultimately led to the identification of Mr. X. Reports indicate that he traveled to Duncan, British Columbia, on June 4, 1985, alongside Talwinder Singh Parmar, a key figure in the Babbar Khalsa terrorist organization. They later met with Inderjit Singh Reyat, who was convicted for constructing and placing the explosives.

The trio ventured into a forested area to conduct bomb tests while being covertly monitored by agents from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). In a tragic turn of events, when they detonated an improvised explosive device (IED), CSIS agents misinterpreted the sound as gunfire, leading to a failure to intervene—a miscalculation that continues to haunt the investigation.

On June 23, 1985, Khalistani terrorists executed a bomb attack on Air India Flight 182, resulting in the deaths of all 329 individuals aboard. The flight was en route from Montreal to Mumbai, with a layover in London, and the majority of the passengers were Canadians of Indian descent.