Kanishka bombing convict apologises to victims

Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only man convicted for his role in the bombing of Air India's Kanishka flight has apologised in court to the families of the 331 victims of the tragic attack.

Reyat appeared to wipe away tears as his lawyer read a letter of apology at his sentencing hearing on Thursday in Vancouver on a conviction of perjury, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday.

"I sincerely apologise to each and every victim," CBC said quoting Reyat's the statement. "My heart has always gone out to those who perished," he said.

Reyat, in his statement, also mentioned his Sikh faith, saying "its gotten him through the past 25 years" -- much of which he spent in prison.

He also said that he prays for the victims and their families.

"A group of individuals got together and for a political purpose decided they had the right to execute 331 people," British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Mark McEwan observed, according to media reports.

Reyat, who will be sentenced on January 7, faces up to 14 years in prison for lying during the 2003 Air India trial of Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, who were acquitted of the charge of masterminding the bomb plot.

Reyat was sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter in connection with his role in acquiring bomb parts used in the explosive device that brought down the Air India Boeing 747.

AI Flight 182 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ireland after leaving Montreal on June 23, 1985.

The prosecution on Thursday asked the court to award him 14 years in jail, the maximum sentence, for telling lies under oath during the trial.

Reyat has already spent two decades in prison for his role in the bombing.