Plan To Inflame The North-East Busted By NIA? Who Sent Guns For Hire?

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), the country's top anti-terror body, announced that it had arrested seven people, including an American national, for taking the India route to enter Myanmar illegally to train ethnic armed groups in the neighbouring country and some banned groups in India too. The American national has been identified as Matthew VanDyke. The Ukrainian nationals are Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim, and Kaminskyi Viktor. A special NIA court in Delhi has sent them to judicial custody for 11 days. All of them face charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, UAPA. The court said they should be interrogated, hence the custody. According to the first information report (FIR) against the seven foreign nationals, they went to restricted areas in Mizoram in the northeast, crossed into Myanmar illegally, and got in touch with ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) and some groups banned in India. The accused allegedly trained the armed groups, gave weapons, and helped in drone operations, the FIR stated. The charges indicate activity consistent with mercenary work.