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Canadians want to try Narita airport
blast convict in AI case: PTI

The request was made onThursday through the Canadian Government, Golf Gaul, a spokesman for the criminal justice branch of the BC Attorney General's Ministry said on Friday.

"We need the consent of the United Kingdom to prosecute him for offences related to the explosion of Air-India flight 182 and the intended explosion of Air-India flight 301," he said.

Gaul said the offences were different from those for which Reyat was extradited to Canada from Britain in 1989.

Reyat is nearing the end of a 10-year sentence for manslaughter for his role in a related bombing the same day the Air-India flight exploded off the coast of Ireland, killing 329 people.

Reyat was convicted for the deaths of two baggage handlers at Narita airport when they were transferring luggage onto Air-India flight 301 the same day that flight 182 went down.

Reyat was sentenced in 1991 to 10 years for manslaughter and other offences but never admitted his guilt. He was denied parole but will complete his sentence this June.

"Reyat was extradited to Canada from the UK in 1989 on specific charges relating to the explosion at the Tokyo airport in Narita that caused the death of the two baggage handlers," said Gaul.

"His (Reyat's) extradition was not related to the explosion of Air-India flight 182 or the intended explosion of Air-India flight 301. Ripudaman Singh Malik of Vancouver and Ajaib Singh Bagri of Kamloops, BC were arrested last October and face charges of conspiracy and first degree murder in the bombing of flight 182. Both bombs were believed to have originated in British Columbia," Gaul said.

When Malik, a millionaire businessman, and Bagri, a saw mill worker, were charged last fall, Reyat was named as an un-indicted co-conspirator in the flight 182 bombing.

Gaul declined to discuss what action the authorities could take if Reyat is released from prison before this application is completed.

"What we've got is the request before the UK Government and as to how long it would take and what would happen if it's not given in time (before he is released). I'm not going to speculate," he said.

The federal government will forward British Columbia's request to Britain, the ministry said in a news release.

Britain's Secretary of State for Home Department will review the documents provided in support of the BC request before responding. The Crown indicated earlier this week it would proceed against them by direct indictment, eliminating a preliminary hearing and speeding the case up by perhaps a year.

Canadian investigators accompanied by a Crown prosecutor are scheduled to travel to India next week to interview potential witnesses and bring back exhibits for the trial.

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