Overview
- The National Investigation Agency arrested U.S. citizen Matthew VanDyke and six Ukrainian nationals on March 13, 2026 on allegations they crossed from India into Myanmar to train ethnic armed groups.
- In a September chargesheet the NIA dropped immediate UAPA terror counts and charged the seven under Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, which led to default bail and allowed them to travel home.
- VanDyke posted on social media in early November saying his March detention was part of “Russia’s war against Ukraine” and that he would reveal “shocking details,” and a reported August handwritten affidavit to the U.S. embassy accused Tihar staff of repeated physical assault and delayed medical care.
- Tihar jail authorities submitted court-ordered CCTV footage and a jail report that, according to those materials, show VanDyke initiating an unprovoked physical confrontation with an armed constable, a finding the court examined and accepted.
- The NIA says its investigation into possible UAPA offences continues and may lead to a supplementary chargesheet, and the next procedural hearing is set for February 24, 2027 with the seven currently staying outside India under the court’s permission.