FBI claims Harpreet Singh, involved in Punjab bomb blasts, linked to ISI

NEW DELHI: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (

FBI

) of the United States on Friday flagged Harpreet Singh's links to the Pakistani spy body Inter-Serices Intelligence (ISI) and the Khalistani terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKL).
The FBI said Singh evaded capture by using "untraceable burner phones and encrypted applications".
Agents from the FBI's Legal Attache office in New Delhi informed Sacramento that Singh was wanted in connection with multiple terror attacks across Punjab.
Harpreet Singh, an alleged terrorist who had illegally entered the US, was arrested by the FBI and ERO in Sacramento.

"Singh is suspected to have collaborated with Pakistan's Inter-Serices Intelligence (ISI) and the Khalistani terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKL). He had been evading capture by using untraceable burner phones and encrypted applications. This case reinforces the importance of international cooperation in apprehending those who threaten global security," the FBI Sacramento said.

Harpreet Singh, a terror accused wanted in India for his alleged role in 14 grenade blasts across Punjab, was arrested in Sacramento, California, by the FBI and US immigration authorities. Singh, who is also accused in 17 criminal cases in India, including terrorism and drug trafficking, was detained on Thursday, the FBI’s Sacramento office confirmed.
“Today, Harpreet Singh, an alleged terrorist responsible for terror attacks in Punjab, India, was arrested by the FBI & ERO in Sacramento. Linked to two international terrorist groups, he entered the US illegally and used burner phones to evade capture,” the FBI said in a post on X.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has named Singh in its chargesheet filed in March 2024 in connection with the 2024 Chandigarh grenade attack. Singh and Pakistan-based terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, both alleged operatives of the banned group BKI, are accused of masterminding the attack and supplying funds, weapons, and explosives to on-ground operatives.