Man acquitted in 1985 Air India bombings killed in targeted shooting, police say

One of two men acquitted in the 1985 Air India terrorist bombings, which left more than 300 people dead, was killed in Canada in what authorities believe to be a targeted shooting.

Ripudaman Singh Malik on Thursday was found fatally shot inside his red Tesla, parked at the time in Surrey, British Columbia. A witness who works at a nearby car wash told CBC News they heard three gunshots before they spotted 75-year-old Malik in his vehicle and bleeding from a wound to his neck.

Police did not initially release the victim’s name, but confirmed his identity after Malik’s son, Jaspreet Malik, reported his father’s killing in a statement shared online.

Investigators arrive at the scene of a fatal shooting, in Surrey, British Columbia., on Thursday, July 14, 2022. Ripudaman Singh Malik, the man acquitted in a terrorist bombing that killed 329 people aboard an Air India flight in 1985 was the person slain Thursday in what Canadian authorities described as a possible targeted shooting, his family said. (DARRYL DYCK/)

“The media will always refer to him as someone charged with the Air India bombing,” his son wrote on Facebook. “The media and RCMP never seemed to accept the court’s decision and I pray today’s tragedy is not related.”

In March 2005, Malik and co-defendant, Ajaib Singh Bagri, were found not guilty on murder and conspiracy charges stemming from a pair of airplane bombings. Air India flight 182 was traveling from Canada to India on June 23, 1985 when it blew up off the Irish coast, killing all 329 people on board, many of them Canadian citizens. Around the same time, a second bomb went off prematurely in Japan, killing two baggage handlers.

Ajaib Singh Bagri leaves a press conference after he and Ripudaman Singh Malik were found not guilty of murder in the June 23, 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 March 16, 2005 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Don MacKinnon/)

“We are aware of Mr. Malik’s background, though at this time we are still working to determine the motive,” the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said in a statement.

“We can confirm that the shooting appears to be targeted and there is not believed to be any further risk to the public.”

With News Wire Services