FBI and ICE arrest Hindu terrorist in Sacramento

Harpreet Singh was wanted for a hand grenade attack in the Indian state of Punjab.

ICE agents in a file photo.Cordon Press.

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April 22, 2025

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Federal authorities have arrested an indicted Hindu terrorist who allegedly carried out a hand grenade attack in the state of Punjab, India.

As announced by FBI Director Kash Patel, Harpreet Singh was arrested in a joint multi-agency operation in Sacramento, Calif.

The FBI, which conducted the operation in conjunction with Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), alleges that Singh was linked to two international terrorist groups, had entered the United States illegally and had been using burner phones to evade arrest.

The detainee is linked to 14 of the 16 grenade attacks carried out in Punjab in the past seven months, targeting police positions, religious sites and homes of public figures.

He was particularly wanted by Indian authorities for a bombing attack in late 2024. Singh is one of a group of four suspects considered by the Indian intelligence agency to be part of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). It is a militant organization that aspires to create an independent Khalistan state in the Punjab region. India has labeled BKI a terrorist group.

Due to the ERO's involvement in the arrest operation, Singh will most likely end up being deported back to India.

Fight against Khalistan separatism

India has been fighting separatism in the state of Punjab and movements seeking the creation of a Khalistan state for years.

In 2024, under the previous government, the Justice Department filed federal charges against an Indian government official. Vikash Yadav, 39, is accused of participating in a criminal plot aimed at the assassination of an opposition leader of the Sikh community in New York.

According to the indictment, in 2023, Yadav, in collaboration with others, led a plot to assassinate a lawyer and political activist on U.S. soil who is an American citizen of Indian origin in New York City.

There have been similar cases in Canada, which led to tensions between the respective governments under Justin Trudeau and Narendra Modi, even leading to the expulsion of diplomats from both countries.

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