Police in B.C. say suspect known as ‘Mr. X’ in 1985 Air India bombing is dead

By Canadian Press on June 23, 2025.

Police in British Columbia say a suspect known as “Mr. X” who is believed to have helped test a bomb before the 1985 Air India terror attack has died before facing charges.

The statement from the RCMP’s Pacific Region comes as families commemorate the 40th anniversary of the attack, where two bombs targeting Air India flights exploded, including one that killed 329 people, most of them Canadians.

Police say in an email that investigators had “uncovered information related to a suspect they believe was involved in testing an explosive device prior to the Air India terrorist attack on June 23, 1985.”

RCMP are not naming the suspect, saying the evidence was not sufficient to unequivocally confirm the identification of the person who has since died.

The suspect, whose identification was first reported by Postmedia, is believed to have helped test an explosive device on Vancouver Island a few weeks before the bombs were placed on two planes.

The bomb on Air India Flight 182 exploded over the Atlantic Ocean, killing everyone on board, while a second suitcase bomb exploded before being transferred onto an Air India jet, killing two baggage handlers in Tokyo’s Narita Airport.

Ceremonies marking the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism are taking place today in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and County Cork, Ireland, which is near where Flight 182 went down.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2025.

Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press