A man from India who was charged with masterminding terror strikes in the northern Indian state of Punjab was arrested in the US. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced Harpreet Singh had been taken into custody by the FBI and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Sacramento.
The FBI had accused Singh of being associated with two global terrorist outfits and having entered the US illegally and using burner phones to avoid arrest.
Singh is currently in custody and has yet to comment on the claims. In an X post, the FBI referred to Singh as an “alleged terrorist behind terror attacks in Punjab, India”. Singh is also reportedly associated with 14 of 16 grenade attacks in Punjab in the last seven months against police outposts, places of worship and residences of public figures, according to local reports.
Singh, alias Happy Passia, is particularly sought by Indian police in relation to a grenade hurling on a Chandigarh city house in 2024. India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) reports that the attack targeted a retired police officer from Punjab. In January, the NIA offered a reward of $5,855 to anyone who provided information about Singh.
In March, the NIA filed formal charges against four individuals, including Singh, for the attack.
The NIA, in a statement, added that the four were members of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) – an extremist group that seeks to establish an independent state of Khalistan in the Punjab region. India has listed BKI as a terrorist organization.
The statement further identified Singh and Harwinder Singh Sandhu, alias Rinda, and called the two men “terrorists”, while describing them as the “masterminds and prime handlers behind the attack”.
“They had provided logistical aid, terror funding, weapons and ammunition to on-ground operatives of India-based operative in Chandigarh for the grenade attack,”
it added.
It said that probes had uncovered Singh and Sandhu had hatched the conspiracy to “instill fear among law enforcement officials and general public”. Sandhu’s whereabouts are unknown and he is a “most wanted” suspect listed by the NIA.
