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`Canada was told of threat to planes'

But they had failed to act: documents

TORONTO: Canadian security agencies had failed to act on Air India's warning that Sikh extremists could try to blow up a plane using a time-bomb, just three weeks before the attack on the Kanishka airliner that killed 329 people, mostly of Indian origin, on June 23, 1985.

Documents tabled before a public inquiry on Tuesday showed that Air India's head office in Mumbai advised the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on June 1, 1985 that it feared Sikh extremists could try to blow up a plane using a time-bomb planted in checked baggage.

The RCMP asked the Canadian Security Intelligence Service for an updated assessment but failed to pass on to the spy service the warning received from Air India.

The CSIS responded that although the general danger to all Indian Government institutions was high, there was no evidence of a ``specific threat'' to the state airline.

Turf war?

The latest information comes in the backdrop of complaints that a turf war between the RCMP and CSIS has hindered anti-terrorist efforts through the 1980s. And this was not the only example of a communications breakdown to surface at the inquiry. PTI

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`Canada was told of threat to planes'

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