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Canada`s spy agency dismisses Air India allegation as `absurd`
Vancouver, June 04: Canada`s spy agency has dismissed as `absurd` reports that one of its agents may have known about the bombing of Air India`s Kanishka flight with 329 people on board in 1985.
Vancouver, June 04: Canada's spy agency has dismissed
as "absurd" reports that one of its agents may have known
about the bombing of Air India's Kanishka flight with 329
people on board in 1985.
Media reports yesterday said a Canadian Security Intelligence Service agent had infiltrated a Sikh militant group prior to the bombing and may have known about the plan.
The reports, citing Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) interrogation files, alleged that CSIS pulled out its mole , named as Surjan Singh Gill , just three days before Air India flight 182 exploded over the Atlantic killing all on board and then hid his activities from the RCMP.
Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri are currently on trial in Vancouver for their alleged role in the destruction of Air India Flight 182.
"Csis's role is to provide intelligence to the government to prevent acts of terrorism from occuring in or originating from Canada", the spy agency said in a statement yesterday.
"If CSIS had had any information which could have prevented the disaster, it would have provided it to the government and the police. Any suggestion that CSIS would not have done everything in its power to prevent such a tragedy from occurring is absurd", it said.
Meanwhile, the Canadian solicitor general has seconded the agency's contention that it did not have any prior knowledge about the bombing.
"They did not have information to believe that a terrorist incident was going to happen on the Air-India flight" solicitor general Wayne Easter told reporters while rejecting opposition demands for a public inquiry into the matter.
Bureau report
Media reports yesterday said a Canadian Security Intelligence Service agent had infiltrated a Sikh militant group prior to the bombing and may have known about the plan.
The reports, citing Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) interrogation files, alleged that CSIS pulled out its mole , named as Surjan Singh Gill , just three days before Air India flight 182 exploded over the Atlantic killing all on board and then hid his activities from the RCMP.
Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri are currently on trial in Vancouver for their alleged role in the destruction of Air India Flight 182.
"Csis's role is to provide intelligence to the government to prevent acts of terrorism from occuring in or originating from Canada", the spy agency said in a statement yesterday.
"If CSIS had had any information which could have prevented the disaster, it would have provided it to the government and the police. Any suggestion that CSIS would not have done everything in its power to prevent such a tragedy from occurring is absurd", it said.
Meanwhile, the Canadian solicitor general has seconded the agency's contention that it did not have any prior knowledge about the bombing.
"They did not have information to believe that a terrorist incident was going to happen on the Air-India flight" solicitor general Wayne Easter told reporters while rejecting opposition demands for a public inquiry into the matter.
Bureau report