AliciaPaschall at 23:51, 10 April 2026

2026-04-10T23:51:23Z

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{{short description|Alleged plot by Sikhs to blow up plane}}
{{Infobox aircraft occurrence
|name = Air India Flight 112 plot
|occurrence_type = Occurrence
|image = Boeing_747-337M,_Air-India_AN0457512.jpg
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|date = {{Start date|1986|05|}}
|summary = Failed terrorist plot
|site = N/A
|coordinates = {{coord|40.648|-73.782|type:event_globe:earth_region:US-NY|display=title}}


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In May 1986, five Canadian [[Sikh]] terrorists were charged with '''plotting to blow up [[Air India]] Flight 112''' in [[New York City]].<ref>Johnson, Walter. "The Challenge of Diversity", 2006. p. 185</ref><ref>Abbas, Tahir. "Islamic political radicalism", 2007. p. 51</ref> Ostensibly members of [[Babbar Khalsa]], two were convicted and given [[life sentence]]s, while three others were released.<ref>Institute for Conflict Management, "Faultlines, Volume 19", p. 112</ref> However, years later, the courts overturned the sentences and freed the remaining two men noting that the government had failed to disclose "crucial evidence" about the alleged plot,<ref>[[Toronto Star]], "Quebec", June 25, 1998</ref> and defence lawyers argued that the men had been [[entrapment|entrapped]] by police agents who invited them to a meeting, then suggested the crime, and arrested them for showing signs of agreement.<ref>[[Kitchener Waterloo Record]], [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/513968851.html?dids=513968851:513968851&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+12%2C+1991&author=&pub=The+Record&desc=Montreal+men+in+bomb+case+get+new+trial&pqatl=google Montreal men in bomb case get new trial] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024131104/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/513968851.html?dids=513968851:513968851&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+12,+1991&author=&pub=The+Record&desc=Montreal+men+in+bomb+case+get+new+trial&pqatl=google |date=2012-10-24 }}, September 12, 1991</ref>

With the arrests coming shortly after the bombing of [[Air India Flight 182]] that killed 329 passengers, which included over 200 Canadians, the [[Solicitor General of Canada|Solicitor General]] [[Perrin Beatty]] urged Canadians not to spread fear of terrorism.<ref>[[Toronto Star]], "Tory asks Canadians to avoid shunning Sikhs after 5 arrests", June 3, 1986</ref>

==Arrests==
{|style="float:right; margin:1em 1em 1em 1em; width:15em; border: 1px solid #a0a0a0; padding: 7px; bg-color=yellow; text-align:left;"
|-
|''Served six years in prison''
|-
|Singh Santokh Khela, 24
|-
|Kashmir Singh Dhillon, 41
|-
|''Released''
|-
|Moninder Singh Anand, 21
|-
|Gurcharan Singh Banwait, 38
|-
|Chattar Singh Saini, 43
|-
|}
The government claimed that the idea for the alleged plot was hatched on April 4, and was targeting an Air India jet leaving [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] on May 30 in New York.<ref name="bind"/> Each of the five men were from [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]],<ref name="bind">Bindman, Stephen. [[Ottawa Citizen]], "Sikhs charged in apparent plot to blow up jet", June 2, 1986</ref> and it was later revealed that Khelsa had been under surveillance by [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service]] since at least May 1985, when they recorded a phone call he made to [[Tarwinder Singh Parmar]].<ref name="affa">Williams, Gwen. [http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/airindia/documents/affidavit.pdf Exhibit 88: Affidavit], February 2002</ref>

A petty criminal codenamed "Billy Joe", with a record for drug trafficking, use of a firearm, kidnapping and assault, approached the [[Sûreté du Québec]] and told them that he'd gotten Maninder Anand to agree to buy a stolen Cadillac, and claimed that he'd heard colleagues talk about blowing up an Air India flight. With a long record of informing on his colleagues for the past 12 years, "Billy Joe" offered to get evidence against these Sikhs in exchange for the police dropping charges against one of his friends who was facing life imprisonment.<ref name="soft">Kashmeri, Zuhair. "Soft target: the real story behind the Air India disaster", p. 109-110</ref>

The case was largely built around an FBI mole, Frank Miele, who spoke to Khela and Dhillon in a bugged Montreal hotel room on May 19 and May 22, offering his services to them under the name of "George" at the urging of "Billy Joe", who had told them he was a member of [[Italian-American Mafia|the Mafia]].<ref name="soft"/><ref>[[Atlanta Journal]], [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AT&p_theme=at&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB7C265D813F1C8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Pope returns home after longest trip of his papacy], December 2, 1986</ref><ref name="canada">Canada.com, [http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/story.html?id=80a4b733-4174-44ea-9c54-7f5b6ef5170f Task force probing publisher's death heads to Montreal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107175648/http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/story.html?id=80a4b733-4174-44ea-9c54-7f5b6ef5170f |date=2012-11-07 }}, June 14, 2008</ref><ref name="fear">[[Toronto Star]], [https://archive.today/20130131181557/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/475670871.html?dids=475670871:475670871&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+06,+1986&author=(CP)&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Jet+plot+suspects+feared+agent,+court+told&pqatl=google Jet plot suspects feared agent, court told], December 6, 1986</ref>

Dhillon was worried because Khela had given the American $6,500 for an ostensibly stolen [[Cadillac]], and agreed to attend the meeting to try to make sure that his friend either had his money returned or got legitimate ownership papers on the car.<ref name="friend">[[Ottawa Citizen]], [https://news.google.ca/newspapers?id=7r4yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Ye8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1403,3471464&dq=kashmir-singh-dhillon&hl=en Bombing suspect was trying to help friend, lawyer says], December 17, 1986</ref> Dhillon later recalled that the American began talking about "crazy things, like bombing an airplane, bombing embassies and buying arms", and that at their only other meeting three days later, he wrote a note insisting that Miele, who was now claiming to be an explosives expert as well as a car thief, not refer to any criminal activities, instead using code words to discuss his ideas, since he was suspicious this was a police [[sting operation]].<ref name="friend"/> Miele later claimed that the men had indicated they were willing to pay 20 kilograms of [[heroin]] in exchange for him downing a plane.<ref name="frank"/>

On May 28, a week after meeting with Miele, Dhillon was recorded phoning Khelsa to express relief that the stranger seemed to be leaving them alone now, saying "we have nothing to do with him, we don't damn well know him".<ref name="fear"/> On the same day, the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] and [[FBI]] claimed to have received a "tip" about a possible bombing plot by Montreal Sikhs,<ref name="bind"/> and the suspects were all arrested by the RCMP.<ref name="bind"/> However, although they were charged with possession of explosives,<ref>[[Chicago Tribune]], "Canada holds Sikhs in plot to bomb jet", June 1, 1986</ref> no sign of any explosives was found.<ref name="nyt">[[The New York Times]], [https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/04/world/around-the-world-no-explosives-found-sikhs-lawyer-asserts.html No explosives found, Sikhs' lawyer asserts], June 4, 1986</ref>

==Trial==
All five were held in the [[Parthenais Detention Centre]],<ref name="bind"/> and entered no plea before judge Jean Pierre Bonin at their [[preliminary hearing]] in the [[Court of Quebec]] at which they were represented by Robert Beaudet. Although the Sikh community rallied to present $2 million in bail for the arrested men, the request was denied at the urging of prosecutor Pierre Garon.<ref name="bind"/><ref name="mont">Montreal Gazette, "Secretive group linked to 5 Sikhs puzzles experts", June 2, 1986</ref><ref>Pruthi, R. K. "Sikhism and Indian Civilization", p. 161</ref>

A month into the proceedings, three of the men were released, partially after it was revealed that several of the recorded conversations had been mistranslated by officials; when Saini telephoned Anand asking to purchase a 12-volt battery to build a light, the RCMP translators suggested he had asked for 12 pounds of explosives to build a bomb.<ref name="soft"/> Charges were simultaneously upgraded against Khela and Dhillon.<ref>[[Toronto Star]], [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/475266981.html?dids=475266981:475266981&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+03%2C+1986&author=Special+to+The+Star&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=2+more+Montreal+Sikhs+freed+as+others+charged+with+murder+conspiracy&pqatl=google 2 more Montreal Sikhs freed as others charged with murder conspiracy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024130956/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/475266981.html?dids=475266981:475266981&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+03,+1986&author=Special+to+The+Star&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=2+more+Montreal+Sikhs+freed+as+others+charged+with+murder+conspiracy&pqatl=google |date=2012-10-24 }}, July 3, 1986</ref> The defence complained that "Billy Joe" was never called to testify, or be [[cross-examination|cross-examined]], noting that he had started the entire process in motion. The RCMP claimed that he had disappeared, but that his alleged contact with them was simply to be taken for granted.<ref name="soft"/>

At trial, where they were represented by Michael Code,<ref>[[Toronto Star]], [https://archive.today/20130131164211/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/472462401.html?dids=472462401:472462401&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+17,+1987&author=(CP)&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Defence+lawyer+asks+lighter+'FLQ'+terms+for+two+terrorists&pqatl=google Defence lawyer asks lighter FLQ terms for two terrorists], January 17, 1987</ref> Khela was confronted with a recorded conversation he had with Miele, in which he was asked "...you want a 747?" and replied "yeah". He told the court that he was confused by the question and believed Miele was referring to a type of truck, and that his curt reply reflected the fact he did not understand much of what was going on since he spoke comparatively little English, and Miele was shouting "all the time". Dhillon later explained that Miele looked like a "pretty dangerous type of guy", and both men maintained that they understood the meeting was to discuss brokering a deal for stolen vehicles from the United States.<ref name="friend"/><ref name="frank">Laurent, Rene. [[Montreal Gazette]], "I was talking about a stolen truck, not a plane", December 16, 1986</ref>

Dhillon was likewise confronted with a paper he had written entitled "Objects of the Sikh Youth of North America" which described his belief that all Sikhs should be trained in [[martial arts]] per the group's illustrious history.<ref name="frank"/>

In December, prosecutor Claude Parent was criticised for a "racist" question in which he demanded to know whether Khela "takes orders from his God".<ref>[[Toronto Star]], "Prosecutor made racist suggestion to suspect in jet plot, lawyer declares", December 13, 1986</ref> On December 12, the pair were both found guilty of conspiracy to commit mass murder, and shortly thereafter justice [[Claire Barrette-Joncas]] sentenced them to life imprisonment.<ref name="affa"/>

On March 6, 1992, their convictions were overturned by the appeals court; the government chose to appeal the overturn, and a new trial was ordered in November 1995. Ten months later, the charges were stayed by the [[Quebec Superior Court]] when it was revealed the government had failed to disclose crucial materials.<ref name="affa"/>

As of 2002, Khelsa claims he is still harassed by CSIS, that the Canadian spy agency disrupted his business and pushed him to give them inside information on Babbar Khalsa's activities in Canada.<ref name="canada"/>

==References==
{{Portal|New York City|1980s}}
{{reflist|2}}

{{Air India}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1986}}

[[Category:Air India|112]]
[[Category:Air India accidents and incidents|112]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1986]]
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents in the United States]]
[[Category:Failed airliner bombings]]
[[Category:Sikh terrorism in Canada]]
[[Category:Trials in Canada]]
[[Category:Quebec case law]]
[[Category:Canadian criminal case law]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Canada in the 1980s]]
[[Category:Terrorism in Canada]]
[[Category:1986 in Quebec]]
[[Category:1986 crimes in Canada]]
[[Category:1986 in Canadian case law]]
[[Category:Indian diaspora in Canada]]
[[Category:Canada–India relations]]
[[Category:1986 in India]]

Air India Flight 112 plot - Revision history

AliciaPaschall at 23:51, 10 April 2026