We can learn from Air India disaster

Terrorism is innovative, not limited to any particular group, Satyamoorthy Kabilan writes.

On June 23, 1985, Air India Flight 182 was on its way from Toronto to London, England, when a bomb exploded, killing all 329 people — most of them Canadians — aboard. Thirty years later, it remains the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history.

The threat of terrorism in Canada continues to evolve on a number of fronts. Through the Conference Board of Canada’s research and the discussions that we have generated on terrorism and radicalization, we can identify two key lessons:

Terrorism is not defined by religion, ethnicity or social status.

The bombing of Air India 182 was attributed to Sikh terrorists. Canada has also witnessed violence motivated by religious hatred such as the firebombing of a Montreal Jewish school, as well as politically motivated violence from groups such as the Front de libération du Québec. More recently, Canada has dealt with citizens travelling abroad to fight with terrorist groups such as Islamic State, as well as domestic extremists acting in support of such groups, like the case of the Parliament Hill attack on Oct. 22.

Acts of terrorism can be perpetrated by people with a range of ideologies, beliefs and social backgrounds. While recent headlines have focused on terrorist groups that hold their own interpretations of Islam, these individuals can come from a range of backgrounds. Canada’s counter-terrorism strategy points out there are also other domestic entities that constitute a terrorist threat to the nation.

The individuals from a given group who get involved in terrorist activity represent a minuscule proportion of the community overall. If we blame an entire community just because some of its members have been involved in terrorism, we risk supporting the notion of persecution and deliberate targeting by authorities, which is part of the narrative of extremist groups. Governments and security agencies need to understand this risk when formulating approaches to countering radicalization, as they could end up feeding this perceived sense of persecution through their actions.

We need to work with those at risk of radicalization to violence, but the indicators for this are not simply religion, ethnicity, or social status — perceived persecution, isolationism and a need for belonging are all factors that play a role within almost any community. Terrorists are innovators. The tactic used to destroy Air India 182, by planting a bomb on board, is one which has been used on many occasions. On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists used commercial aircraft as a weapon, destroying the World Trade Center in New York City. On Dec. 22, 2001, an attempt was made to destroy an aircraft using a shoe bomb. In 2010, terrorists attempted to use a bomb in a printer cartridge to bring down a cargo plane. The ability of terrorist organizations to innovate and evolve their tactics presents a key challenge for security services globally.

Terrorist groups have also been disturbingly astute in their use of social media for distributing messages and recruitment. Some argue extremist groups have the upper hand when it comes to social media engagement. Extremist groups have been very quick to adopt new tools and technologies, such as social media platforms.

Terrorist tactics will continue to evolve and, while we may be able to prevent known tactics, it is inevitable that terrorist groups will deploy new methods and tools to carry out their attacks. The challenge is to keep up and proactively identify where potential threats and new tactics may emerge.

Ensuring that we do not assign blame to any individual communities for the acts of a few and keeping pace with the constant evolution of the terrorist threat are key aspects to keeping Canada safe. Continuing to do all we can to prevent another major tragedy like the bombing of Air India 182 may be the best way to provide some measure of comfort to those who continue to mourn for the 329 lives lost on that flight.