Ottawa: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have confirmed the identity of the mysterious individual known as "Mr X", who assisted in testing the bomb used in the deadly June 1985 mid-air bombing of the Kanishka – but have refused to disclose his name, citing privacy laws.

The man, recently identified by investigators, died without ever facing charges in connection with the bombing of Air India flight AI 182, which killed all 329 people on board. The flight, en route from Montreal to Mumbai via London, exploded mid-air off the coast of Ireland on 23 June 1985, in what remains the deadliest act of aviation terrorism before 9/11.

RCMP Assistant Commissioner David Teboul made the revelation while in Ireland as part of a Canadian delegation attending a memorial event ahead of the 40th anniversary of the tragedy.

Identity confirmed after decades

Despite the acquittals of two primary suspects in 2005, RCMP investigators continued to pursue leads to "tie up loose ends". This renewed effort ultimately led to the identification of Mr X.

According to Teboul, on 4 June 1985 - just weeks before the bombing -- Mr X travelled with plot mastermind Talwinder Singh Parmar to Duncan, British Columbia. There, they met with electrician Inderjit Singh Reyat. The three men entered a wooded area to test a bomb, unaware they were being monitored by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). Agents heard an explosion but mistakenly assumed it was a gunshot, failing to realise its significance.

Parmar, the founder of the Khalistani extremist group Babbar Khalsa International, was killed in a police encounter in Punjab in 1992. Reyat later pleaded guilty to assisting in the bomb plot, but during his testimony claimed he did not know the identity of Mr X.

Name withheld despite death

"The name cannot be released due to privacy laws, even though the man is deceased," Teboul told Vancouver Sun. The RCMP's decision not to disclose Mr X’s identity has sparked debate, particularly given the historic significance of the case and the continuing calls for justice by victims’ families.

The bombing of Air India flight AI 182 remains one of the worst terrorist attacks involving Canadian citizens, most of whom were of Indian origin. The tragedy has had long-lasting political, legal, and social consequences in both Canada and India.