Air India probe turned up new leads: report

New investigative leads in the ongoing criminal probe of the Air India bombing were turned up during justice John Major's commission of inquiry, according to his report.
In fact, Major criticized the RCMP for withholding information from him because they wanted to follow up on it for the criminal case.
The bombing of Air India Flight 182 from Canada off the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985, killed everyone on board. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history and claimed the lives of 329 people on board. Two baggage handlers at Japan's Narita airport were also killed in the blast of a second suitcase bomb tied to the plot.
Major said one potential inquiry witness dubbed "Mr. G" had contacted the RCMP in January 2007 to say he wanted to talk to Major's team.
Mr. G is described in Major's report as "an important figure in the Sikh extremist movement in 1985 who is believed to have knowledge about the Air India bombing."
Major said that instead of the RCMP turning Mr. G over to the inquiry, they tried to get his co-operation in the criminal case even though they hadn't spoken to the man since 2000.
"During a formal interview with the RCMP in September 2007, Mr. G complained that he had not been able to contact the commission. RCMP investigators told him he could contact the commission if he so wished, but that the commission staff were 'not investigators' and they would simply refer him back to the RCMP," Major wrote.
He said the RCMP only mentioned Mr. G's willingness to aid the inquiry in March 2008 "a month after the hearings were concluded."
Despite his criticism, Major said pursuing the ongoing criminal case is critical.
19/06/10 Kim Bolan/Canwest News Service/The Ottawa Citizen

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Categories: Air India - International Jun 2010, Foreign Jun 2010, NACIL Jun 2010, Safety Jun 2010