India Arrests American Mercenary For Operations In North East

India-West News Desk

NEW DELHI – In a coordinated operation on March 13, India’s National Investigation Agency arrested American mercenary Matthew Aaron VanDyke at Kolkata airport, alongside six Ukrainian nationals detained in Lucknow and Delhi.

VanDyke, a Georgetown-educated security analyst who rose to fame as a foreign fighter and prisoner of war during the 2011 Libyan Civil War, is accused of violating the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

His history of inserting himself into global conflicts is extensive, having transitioned from a 2007 motorcycle journey through the Middle East to fighting with Libyan rebels against Muammar Gaddafi, where he survived six months in solitary confinement. Following his time in Libya, he documented and advised rebel groups during the Syrian Civil War, founded the tactical training non-profit Sons of Liberty International to assist Iraqi Assyrian forces against ISIS, and most recently joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine to fight and provide drone training following the 2022 Russian invasion.

The NIA alleges that VanDyke and his team entered India on tourist visas before traveling to Mizoram without the required Restricted Area Permits. From there, they reportedly crossed illegally into Myanmar to collaborate with ethnic armed groups.

Investigators say the group provided military training and planned to supply weapons and European-manufactured drones to insurgents.

Specifically, VanDyke is accused of leveraging his combat experience to train militants in drone warfare, assembly, and jamming technologies, activities Indian authorities view as a direct threat to national security due to links between these groups and insurgents in India’s Northeast.

On March 16, a special court remanded the group to 11 days of NIA custody to further unearth their operational network and funding sources within the region.