India seeks FBI, Interpol assistance to investigate airline bomb hoax calls

Amid a surge of over 400 bomb hoax threats disrupting air travel in India in the past two weeks, New Delhi has requested assistance from the U.S. government and Interpol to investigate the origins of these calls.

Indian authorities are particularly interested in tracing potential links to Khalistani groups based in the U.S., Caliber.Az reports via Indian media.

Recently, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the leader of Sikhs for Justice and a wanted individual in India, called for a “boycott” of Air India from November 1 to November 19 to “destroy India economically.”

Sources indicate that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is cooperating with Indian officials to trace the calls and emails targeting airlines, many of which have been made through social media. From October 13 to October 28, over 410 domestic and international flights operated by Indian carriers received hoax bomb threats, with Air India being particularly affected.

A U.S. Embassy spokesperson in Delhi confirmed, “U.S. law enforcement officials are in touch with Indian counterparts to support investigations into airline bomb threats affecting U.S. citizens.”

Additionally, India has sought Interpol’s assistance to gather information from Germany and the United Kingdom, as the Virtual Private Network (VPN) servers used for these calls are believed to be located in those countries.

This collaboration with the FBI is significant, especially given the recent strain in India-U.S. relations over the trial of an Indian official and businessman accused of ordering an assassination attempt on Pannun. Although India has denied these allegations, it has initiated a high-level inquiry into the matter, with Deputy National Security Adviser Pankaj Singh recently visiting the U.S. to discuss findings.

Pannun has been a wanted terrorist in India since 2020, facing multiple charges, including promoting secessionism and inciting communal discord under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. He has made numerous threats against India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and state agencies, accusing them of atrocities against Sikhs.

Despite his frequent broadcasts targeting India, U.S. officials have refrained from taking action against him, citing free speech protections and insufficient evidence linking his threats to actual terrorist activities.

In his recent communications, Pannun has escalated his rhetoric, urging students to “shut down” schools run by the Central Reserve Police Force and Kendriya Vidyalayas in the National Capital Region and Punjab. This call appears aimed at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, whom Pannun accuses of being involved in a plot against him and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada last year.

By Tamilla Hasanova