New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted US citizen Matthew Aaron VanDyke and six Ukrainian nationals over alleged illegal movement through India into Myanmar and drone-warfare training for Myanmar-based ethnic armed groups. The seven were arrested in March 2026 after investigators alleged they entered protected areas of Mizoram without required permits and crossed the border into Myanmar. The NIA has said the training allegedly covered drone operations, assembly and jamming technology. Earlier allegations also examined possible links between some Myanmar-based armed groups and insurgent organisations operating in India.
VanDyke is known for involvement in conflict zones including Libya, Iraq, Syria and Ukraine, and for establishing Sons of Liberty International, an organisation that says it provides security training to groups fighting terrorists and authoritarian forces. However, recent investigative reporting says the NIA has so far found no conclusive evidence that the accused trained Indian insurgent groups or directly carried out activities against India. The agency filed its first chargesheet on September 8 under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, while keeping its investigation into possible offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act open.
The case has also attracted diplomatic attention. VanDyke’s family publicly sought intervention from the US government, and reports say US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor raised his detention with Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. Opposition figures later questioned whether American pressure influenced the absence of UAPA provisions from the first chargesheet. Indian authorities, however, have not confirmed any such link, and the NIA has clarified that its anti-terror investigation is continuing. Contrary to claims that the accused were “quietly released” after US diplomatic intervention, recent reports do not establish such a release; instead, the case remains under investigation, with immigration charges filed and the possibility of further anti-terror action depending on additional evidence before the court.
