California: Harpreet Singh, a terrorist implicated in attacks in Punjab, was taken into custody by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in the United States on Friday.

According to the FBI, Harpreet Singh entered the US illegally and is associated with two foreign terrorist organizations. The FBI claims that he avoided capture by using burner phones.

“Today, the FBI and ERO in Sacramento arrested Harpreet Singh, an alleged terrorist who was responsible for terror attacks in Punjab, India,” FBI Sacramento said in a post published on X. He utilized burner phones to avoid detention after breaking into the United States illegally and being connected to two international terrorist organizations.

Four members of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist group were charged by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on March 23 in connection with the 2024 Chandigarh grenade incident. US-based Harpreet Singh, also known as Happy Passia, and Pakistan-based Designated Individual Terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu, also known as Rinda, are among the defendants named in the chargesheet.

The attack’s main controllers and conspirators were the two terrorists. They had given India-based on-ground operations in Chandigarh weaponry, ammunition, terror funding, and logistical assistance so they could carry out the grenade assault. The attackers thought the house’s resident was a retired Punjab Police officer, who was the target of the September 2024 assault.

According to investigations, Rinda and Happy Passia had planned the grenade assault to terrorize law enforcement officers and the public as part of a larger scheme to further BKI’s terrorist objectives. They had enlisted local agents, Rohan and Vishal Masih, who were given the duty of executing the assault under their close supervision.

Investigations showed that before throwing the grenade, Rinda and Happy instructed the two suspects, Rohan Masih and Vishal Masih, to do reconnaissance on the target twice.

All four of the accused have been charged under various sections of the Explosive Substances Act, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and other relevant provisions for their roles in organizing and assisting with the attack in the chargesheet submitted to the Special NIA Court in Chandigarh in the case RC15/2024/NIA/DLI. The NIA is working to find other BKI terrorists and destroy its network in India as part of ongoing investigations.

Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), a Pakistan-ISI-backed terror group run by Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, and Shamsher, alias Honey, was dismantled by the Punjab Police earlier in December of last year. The group’s five members, including mastermind Abhijot Singh, were arrested for hand-grenade lobbying at two Batala and Gurdaspur police stations.