Air India bomber Reyat applies for early release

Convicted terrorist Inderjit Singh Reyat was transferred to a provincial pre-trial centre Friday after completing his manslaughter sentence for the Air India bombing.
Reyat, 55, was escorted from Matsqui Institution in Abbotsford to a Lower Mainland jail to await his trial on perjury, which is now scheduled in B.C. Supreme Court for March 7.
But Reyat is hoping to be released before that.
Roger Cutler, of the attorney general's ministry, confirmed Friday that Reyat has applied for bail, and a date of March 4 has been fixed to hear that application.
"He was kept in a federal institution while completing his manslaughter sentence which came to end. And then he still has to deal with the perjury matter and he is in custody while awaiting that," Cutler said.
"The [arrest] warrant would have been issued way back then."
Families of the Air India victims were contacted last month and told Reyat had agreed to plead guilty to perjury for lying at the trial of two others accused in the terrorism plot.
But Reyat appears to be intent on going to trial on the allegations he lied repeatedly in September 2003 when he was a Crown witness against Ajaib Singh Bagri and Ripudaman Singh Malik. Both men were later acquitted.
Reyat's lawyer, Ian Donaldson, did not return messages Friday.
Lisa Lapointe, of B.C. Corrections, also confirmed the Reyat transfer Friday, but said she couldn't release information about which pre-trial jail -- Surrey or North Fraser -- is now the temporary home of the bombmaker.
09/02/08 Kim Bolan/Vancouver Sun/Vancouver Sun, Canada

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Categories: Air India - International Feb 2008, Foreign Feb 2008, NACIL Feb 2008, Safety Feb 2008