Sagarika Mitra, Content Head of JAN KI BAAT, sheds light on the chilling tale of terrorist Ahmed Ressam, underscoring Canada’s failure to learn from history, even nine years after the Kanishka Bombing.
Amidst the escalating diplomatic tensions between India and Canada, the Indian government has taken bold steps to crack down on the Khalistani network. Reports suggest that the Modi government has ordered authorities to identify Khalistani terrorists across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, cancelling their OCI cards and banning their entry into India. They’ve also been instructed to trace their properties and those of their supporters with bank accounts in India, seizing them promptly. Earlier this week, the Ministry of External Affairs took an unprecedented stance, describing Canada as a ‘safe haven’ for ‘terrorists, extremists, and organized crime’ – words it seldom used for a Western nation. Should India have adopted this stance earlier? Does Canada indeed have a history of being a sanctuary for terrorists, extremists, and organized crime? Let’s delve into it.
In 1985, the Kanishka bombing left a profound scar on Canada’s history, claiming 329 lives onboard Air India Flight 182, most of whom were Canadians. The mastermind, Talwinder Singh Parmar, found refuge in Canada despite India’s extradition requests in 1982. It was a glaring failure of Canada’s immigration and national security protocols, a lesson that should have been seared into the nation’s conscience.
Fast forward nine years, Ahmed Ressam, an Algerian Al Qaeda terrorist, exploited Canada’s flawed immigration system and found entry into the country. In February 1994, Ressam boarded an Air Canada flight to Montreal using a fraudulent French passport. Initially viewed as a deportation case, his journey through Canada’s immigration system unveiled alarming vulnerabilities.
Upon arrest by Canadian customs officials, Ressam wove a fabricated tale of torture in Algeria to claim political asylum and escape deportation. While Canada’s compassionate approach to deportation may have seemed commendable at the time, it inadvertently provided sanctuary to terrorists like Ressam.
Allowed to stay, Ressam integrated into Montreal’s Algerian community, resorting to theft and other illicit activities for survival. Fateh Kamel, another notorious Algerian criminal residing in Canada, recruited him to supply stolen travel documents, fueling the ambitions of potential jihadists.
Although Ressam initially eluded the scrutiny of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), his precarious status made him susceptible to terrorist recruitment. By September 1998, a nationwide arrest warrant loomed over him.
However, Ressam had already outmaneuvered Canadian law enforcement agencies, assuming the identity of Benni Antoine Noris. Through forgery, he secured a Canadian passport with minimal verification, granting him access to an al Qaeda-funded camp in Afghanistan, where he received training in weaponry and explosives.
Crucially, discussions with fellow camp attendees revolved around using their ‘newfound skills’ against U.S. targets, leading to a vague plan: a series of robberies to fund a millennium eve attack. Ressam returned to Canada, carrying bomb-making components.
In April 1999, French magistrate Jean-Louis Bruguière requested Canadian officials to locate Ressam, suspecting his involvement in a passport smuggling ring linked to terrorism. Yet, both an RCMP officer and Canadian Intelligence lost track of him.
In November that year, Ressam flew to Vancouver, establishing a makeshift bomb-making facility. Despite contracting malaria in Afghanistan, he remained steadfast in his deadly mission.
Driving to the U.S border in Port Angeles, Washington, Ressam’s car underwent inspection, leading to a harrowing discovery. Concealed within was a cache of explosive materials, capable of generating a blast 40 times more devastating than a typical car bomb. His target: Los Angeles International Airport.
In the shadow of the 1985 Kanishka tragedy, Canada’s inability to prevent Ahmed Ressam from exploiting its soil to attempt to execute a massive car bombing at the Los Angeles Airport in the 2000 millennium attacks plot, underscores that Canada has not only sheltered Khalistanis for years but has also provided refuge to terrorists, criminals, and extremists from around the world.
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