NIA court grants bail to Matthew Van Dyke
A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday granted default bail to Matthew Aaron Van Dyke, a US citizen and one of seven foreigners who were arrested in March over allegations that they had provided drone warfare training to ethnic armed groups in Myanmar.
Judge Prashant Sharma of the Special NIA Court released Van Dyke on a personal bond of one lakh rupees with one surety also paying the same amount. He must stay in Delhi and not leave India until the case is concluded, and must appear before investigators whenever they call upon him.
The court said the six Ukrainian co-accused could also apply for bail on the same grounds. Van Dyke, founder of the security company Sons of Liberty International and a former filmmaker in conflict areas, had been detained in Tihar Jail since his arrest.
Authorities arrested him on 13 March 2026 at Kolkata airport. The Ukrainians, Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim and Kaminskyi Viktor -- were intercepted at both Delhi and Lucknow airports. All seven of them entered India on tourist visas in December 2025.
According to the NIA documents, the group was involved in a drone strike on 20 February directed at a Myanmar National Airlines ATR-72 at Myitkyina airport in the Kachin State of Myanmar. The attack damaged the plane but resulted in no injuries.
The NIA says the group flew to Guwahati before travelling to Mizoram without the necessary permits, then crossed the open border between India and Myanmar into Chin State. According to the investigators, they arrived at Victoria Camp, which is the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Army, where they carried out planned training sessions in the areas of drone operations, assembly, jamming, and asymmetric warfare.
The Chin National Front, the Kachin Independence Army and the Kuki-Chin Army are named in the investigation. The agency also states that drones and equipment from Europe were sent via India to Myanmar, and that the person in question took part in joint combat operations.
The case was initially registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act after the Ministry of Home Affairs asked the NIA to investigate. Initially, the agency regarded it as a wider terror conspiracy involving ethnic armed organisations which might have connections with the northeast part of India.
However, on 8 September the NIA submitted a chargesheet under Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, for offences concerning illegal entry, stay and movement. These offences may be resolved at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office.
The chargesheet stated that more time was needed to complete the UAPA investigation, including forensic examination of the seized devices and recovered drones. That aspect of the investigation remains open, and another chargesheet may be filed.
As the period of legal custody ended and only immigration offences remained, Van Dyke became eligible for default bail. He applied on 17 September; the court heard the case the next day and granted him bail. The court will look at the chargesheet on 1 October.
