Mel Deschenes

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Mel Deschenes was the director-general of the counter-terrorism branch of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in 1985 at the time of the Air India bombing. James S. Warren is alternatingly referred to as having held the position of director-general at the same time.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service Canadian intelligence agency

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is Canada's primary national intelligence service. It is responsible for collecting, analysing, reporting and disseminating intelligence on threats to Canada's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, within Canada and abroad. It also reports to and advises the Government of Canada on national security issues and situations that threaten the security of the nation.

James S. Warren was the director of the counter-terrorism branch of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in 1985 at the time of the Air India bombing. Mel Deschenes is alternatingly referred to as having held the same position at the same time.

In 2007 it was revealed that the week prior to the bombing, Deschenes was in Los Angeles with an International Commission on Terrorism, when he reportedly told Justice Department agent Graham Pinos that he felt Sikh extremists were "likely" to have a Canadian plane "blown out of the air". [1] [2] On June 19, 1985, four days before the Air India bombing, he then reportedly told Ontario Crown attorney Michael Anne MacDonald that he had to return to Canada immediately to deal with "Sikh extremists in Vancouver".

Los Angeles City in California

Los Angeles, officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in California, the second most populous city in the United States, after New York City, and the third most populous city in North America. With an estimated population of four million, Los Angeles is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. The city is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, Hollywood and the entertainment industry, and its sprawling metropolis. Los Angeles is the largest city on the West Coast of North America.

United States Department of Justice U.S. federal executive department in charge of law enforcement

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government, responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice in the United States, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries. The department was formed in 1870 during the Ulysses S. Grant administration.

Crown attorney

Crown Attorneys or Crown Counsel are the prosecutors in the legal system of Canada.

However, when detailing his role in the investigation in 1988, Deschenes had written that he simply returned to Canada because "he was no longer needed" in Los Angeles, and chided others for remaining to "soak up some sun". [3]

After the bombing occurred on Sunday morning, Deschenes wasn't called into work since his colleagues were unaware he had returned. [2]

Due to his age and poor health, it was announced Deschenes would not be called to testify before the Air India Inquiry, though Graham Pinos, a former Federal Prosecutor, testified that Deschenes had told him only days before the bombing that "rogue elements" of the Indian Secret Service were operating in Canada, and likely to bring down a plane. [4]

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References

  1. ↑ globeandmail.com
  2. 1 2 TheStar.com | News | CSIS knew Air India attack likely, probe hears
  3. ↑ CSIS 'knew' of bomb plot: Air India witnesses
  4. ↑ Canadian Press, "'Rogue agents' highlight inquiry", October 26, 2006
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