India seeks FBI, Interpol help to trace airline bomb hoax callers

In this Aug. 22, 2024 file photo, security personnel conduct inspection of an Air India aircraft, in Thiruvananthapuram. Four planes, including an Air India aircraft, received bomb-threat messages through a social media handle on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

With more than 400 bomb hoax threats disrupting international and domestic air travel in India over the past two weeks, New Delhi has reached out to the U.S. government and the Interpol to help investigate the calls.

In particular, it is learnt that Indian officials want to pursue any leads that might connect the calls to Khalistani groups in the U.S. In a broadcast last week, Sikhs for Justice chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is wanted in India, had called for a “boycott” of Air India from November 1 to November 19, to “destroy India economically”.

FBI supports probe

According to sources, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been cooperating with the request from India, to trace the calls and emails that have been sent across the country to airlines using social media. In the 15 days between October 13 and October 28, over 410 domestic and international flights operated by Indian carriers have received hoax bomb threats, with Air India receiving dozens of such calls.

“U.S. law enforcement officials are in touch with Indian counterparts to support investigations into airline bomb threats affecting U.S. citizens,” confirmed the U.S. Embassy spokesperson in Delhi, in response to a question from The Hindu.

Tracking VPNs

A second government source said that India has sought Interpol’s assistance to seek information from Germany and the United Kingdom as well.

“We need specific information about the hoax calls from Germany and U.K. as the Virtual Private Network (VPN) servers from which these calls and messages are routed are located in these countries,” the second government source said.

Pannun’s threats

The cooperation from the FBI is significant as it comes at a time when India-U.S. ties have been under a cloud over the trial of an Indian government official and an Indian businessman accused of ordering an assassination attempt on Mr. Pannun. While India has denied the allegations, first formally revealed in a Department of Justice indictment in November 2023, it has appointed a high-level inquiry into the case. A team headed by Deputy National Security Adviser Pankaj Singh travelled to the U.S. recently to discuss their findings.

Mr. Pannun has been on India’s list of wanted terrorists since 2020, and the National Investigation Agency has charged him on several counts, including promoting secessionism and enmity amongst communities, and under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

Mr. Pannun has made frequent broadcasts on social media, targeting India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and State agencies for alleged atrocities against Sikhs. He has made threats to disrupt Indian flights and events. However, U.S. officials have thus far not taken him into custody, citing free speech laws and a lack of evidence that his threats are directly linked to concrete terror operations.

In his latest broadcasts, following the threat against Air India flights in November, Mr. Pannun has called for “students to shut down” schools run by the Central Reserve Police Force and Kendriya Vidyalayas, in the National Capital Region and in Punjab. This is a means to target Union Home Minister Amit Shah, whom Mr. Pannun accused of involvement in the alleged plot against him and in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada last year.