FBI nabs alleged terrorist Harpreet Singh sought by India

FBI Director Kash Patel on Monday said his agency’s Sacramento, Calif. branch captured alleged terrorist Harpreet Singh in cooperation with Indian authorities. Singh, who was in the United States illegally, is accused of planning attacks on police stations in India and the United States, Patel said. India’s National Investigation Agency also charged Singh with planning and supplying an unsuccessful 2024 grenade attack against a retired police officer in Chandigarh, India. Singh had not commented on the charges as of Tuesday morning.

Who is Singh? Singh, also known as Happy Passia, is originally from Passia village in Punjab’s Amritsar district in India. He lived in the United Kingdom briefly before entering the United States illegally from Mexico in 2021, according to the Times of India. Singh is allegedly a member of the Babbar Khalsa International terror group, according to India’s National Investigation Agency.

Indian authorities sought Singh in connection with a string of terror attacks in Punjab, India, and suspected him of collaborating with Pakistani intelligence, the FBI’s Sacramento office wrote on Facebook.

What other charges does Singh face? He is wanted in 17 total criminal cases in India. Along with his alleged terrorist activities, he also ran afoul of the country’s drug laws. Most of the cases were registered between November 2022 and April 2024, according to the Times of India.

Has the FBI recently cooperated with Indian law enforcement in other cases? The FBI and other U.S. law enforcement agencies recently worked with India to extradite a conspirator in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Tahawwur Hussain Rana.

Dig deeper: Read my report on Rana’s case.