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| Reyat testifies as prosecution examines for Air India bombing conspiracy
VANCOUVER, Sept 10 (AFP) - The only person to have served jail time for the 1985 Air India bombings took the stand Wednesday in the murder and conspiracy trial of two other Sikh men. Under intense questioning, Inderjit Singh Reyat admitted that he knew Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri through Sikh religious functions in the 1970s and 1980s. BizVantage – Beyond the news: indepth on business, investment and technology. Malik and Bagri each face eight criminal charges related to conspiracy and murder in the two bombings. The trial comes 18 long years after a suitcase bomb exploded on Air India Flight 182 June 23, 1985. The plane plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 passengers. On the same day, a second bomb exploded at Narita airport in Japan, killing two baggage handlers who were transferring it to a second Air India flight. Prosecutors are trying to prove there was a conspiracy involving the accused men along with Reyat and alleged ringleader Talwinder Singh Parmar, who was shot dead by police in India in 1992. They contend that both bombs originated in this west coast Canadian city and argue that radical Sikhs planted them in a now-forgotten fight for a Sikh homeland and in revenge for the 1984 Indian government attack on the Sikh temple at Amritsar. In February, Reyat, 51, pleaded guilty for his role in the Flight 182 bombing and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He had already been convicted in 1991 for manslaughter in the Narita deaths. Under questioning Wednesday, Reyat described quickly and clearly his family move to England from India when he was 13, his baptism at 16, his English apprenticeship in automotives and diesel mechanics, and his immigration to Canada at age 21. But when asked about his companions and details of why and how he came to buy materials and build a bomb, which Reyat admitted doing, he repeatedly said, "I can't remember ... It's too many years ago." He also contradicted himself, saying at one point that he only knew Parmar through religious functions, and later calling him a "friend." Reyat admitted that in 1984, Parmar asked him to build "some kind of a device to take to India," which he then admitted was a bomb. Reyat said he helped because he was upset about how India was treating Sikhs. He told prosecutor Len Doust that he bought materials and built an explosive device in a toilet paper roll, but when he tried to explode it near his home on Vancouver Island, with Parmar and an unidentified man, it failed to work. Reyat gave the man, who Doust called "Mr. X," materials to build a bomb including a radio tuner, a relay device and a 24-hour clock timer. He said he did not know the name of Mr. X, even though he was a guest in Reyat's house for "four or five days." Reyat said he neither asked Parmar or Mr. X what the bomb was for, although he said vaguely that he thought it was to blow up something heavy in India, "like a bridge." Reyat also said he thought the bomb would not be used to harm people. Early in the day, Reyat asked the judge to confirm that his testimony was covered under Canada's witness protection legislation, which automatically ensures witnesses cannot incriminate themselves. In a news conference, prosecution spokesman Geoffrey Gaul said the government was not ready to ask the judge to deem Reyat a hostile witness. The designation in Canada allows prosecution lawyers to more aggressively question witnesses and to ask leading questions, which are otherwise not allowed. Reyat's testimony is expected to continue through the rest of this week. Str-sba/fgf Canada-India
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