Two men accused of murdering Ripudaman Singh Malik, a Sikh man acquitted in the tragic 1985 Air India Kanishka terrorist bombing case, have pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a Canadian court, according to media reports. Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez filed the plea in British Columbia (BC) Supreme Court on Monday on the eve of the murder trial of Malik, 75, who was shot multiple times outside his family business early in the morning in July. 14, 2022.
Malik was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia in 2022. He and co-accused Ajaib Singh Bagri were acquitted in 2005 of charges of mass murder and conspiracy related to the twin bomb blasts in 1985 that killed 331 people.
Fox and Lopez both pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder in a New Westminster courtroom on Monday, Global News reports.
The court heard a unanimous statement of facts, which revealed that two men were hired to kill Malik, the report said.
“What we know from the agreed statement of facts is that there was some type of financial incentive involved in the commission of this crime, but in terms of any other specifics, this is one of those situations where unfortunately it’s just something “We as outsiders will probably never know,” Lopez’s lawyer, Gloria Ng, told Global News.
“One thing that is certainly at the forefront of our minds is the youth of our client – Lopez is a very young man and we are certainly optimistic about his prospects for rehabilitation.” In a statement, Malik’s family described him as a “father, brother, husband and grandfather as well as a tireless community leader,” the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported Monday.
“While we are grateful that the shooters are being brought to justice, we know that nothing will ever take away the pain we have endured from losing a family member in this way,” the family said.
“However, the job is not done. Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez were hired to carry out this murder. Until the parties responsible for hiring them and directing this murder are brought to justice The work will remain incomplete until it is brought.” The family called on the killers to “co-operate with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in bringing to justice those who hired you.” Crown and defense lawyers have agreed that Fox and Lopez should not be eligible for parole for 20 years. And he will next appear in court on October 31 for sentencing.
The 1985 Air India bombing is one of the worst terrorist attacks in Canadian and airline history.
On June 23, 1985, Air India Flight 182 carrying 329 people, including 268 Canadian nationals and 24 Indian nationals, took off from Toronto and stopped in Montreal, from where it proceeded to London and then to its final destination, Bombay.
The plane was flying 31,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean when a suitcase bomb exploded in the front cargo hold, killing everyone on board.
Another bomb was to be planted on an Air India flight from Japan, but it exploded at Tokyo’s Narita Airport, killing two baggage handlers.
Inderjit Singh Reyat was convicted on various charges and spent 30 years in prison for helping make the bomb and lying during the trials, including Malik’s. He was released in 2016 after serving two-thirds of his perjury sentence.
Reyat Kanishka was the only person convicted for the bombings.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
