US Arrests Indian Terror Suspect Charged with Planning Attacks in Punjab

Happy Passia, whose real name is Harpreet Singh, was detained in Sacramento on suspicion of planning grenade strikes in Punjab, India.

The FBI reported Friday that an Indian national has been taken into custody by US federal authorities on suspicion of organizing a string of terror strikes in Punjab state, India.

A joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) resulted in the arrest of the suspect, Harpreet Singh, also known as “Happy Passia,” in Sacramento. According to the FBI, Singh had entered the country illegally and had been trying to avoid capture by using burner phones.

The FBI referred to Singh as a “alleged terrorist responsible for terror attacks in Punjab, India” in a post on the social media site X.

Singh is accused of being involved in 14 of the 16 grenade attacks that have occurred in Punjab during the last seven months, according to local Indian media. Police stations, places of worship, and the residences of well-known public personalities were the targets of the attacks, which included one in 2024 that involved a grenade attack on a Chandigarh city home.

Singh allegedly participated in an attack on a retired Punjab police officer in January 2024, according to India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA). Singh and three other people were formally charged by the NIA in March, claiming they were members of a broader terror network run by Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), a group that the Indian government has classified as a terrorist organization.

Harwinder Singh Sandhu, also known as Rinda, was also named by the NIA as Singh’s co-conspirator and accomplice. According to the agency’s statement, the two were the “primary handlers and masterminds behind the attack,” providing money, weapons, and logistical support to Chandigarh-based operations.

According to the NIA, “they planned the plot to incite fear among law enforcement officers and the public.”

The whereabouts of Sandhu are still unknown, even though Singh is currently in US jail and has not yet officially addressed the accusations. Indian officials include him on their list of “most wanted” suspects.

The NIA offered a reward of 500,000 rupees (about $5,855) in January for any information that would result in Singh’s apprehension.

Whether US officials will take action to extradite Singh to India is still up in the air.