New Delhi, Sep 25 (PTI) Alleged American mercenary Matthew Aaron VanDyke and a Ukrainian national, who are among the seven foreigners arrested on charges of unauthorised travel and training activities with Myanmar-based ethnic armed groups, were released from Tihar Jail on Thursday to travel to their respective countries, officials said on Friday.
The two foreigners were allowed to return for one month to meet their families, subject to conditions and completion of requisite formalities, after a Delhi court granted default bail to all the foreign nationals arrested in the case.
The default bail was granted after the NIA filed a charge sheet against them for illegal entry, stay and movement, but did not invoke the anti-terror law, UAPA.
VanDyke was seen walking out of Tihar jail on Thursday with his face covered, before getting into a car.
VanDyke was arrested by the NIA at Kolkata airport, while Ukrainian citizens Petro Hurba, Taras Slyviak and Ivan Sukmanovskyi were arrested from Lucknow airport on March 13. Three other Ukrainians — Marian Stefankiv, Maksim Honcharuk and Viktor Kaminskyi — were arrested at Delhi airport the same day.
The NIA is probing the alleged involvement of the seven foreign nationals in a drone-warfare training camp linked to ethnic armed groups in Myanmar.
On September 18, the court granted VanDyke bail on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and a surety of Rs 1 lakh. He subsequently moved an application seeking permission to travel to the US.
On September 23, the NIA court modified the conditions imposed in his bail order, paving the way for his travel to the US for a month, subject to the conditions laid down by the court.
The accused were released from Tihar on Thursday after completion of the necessary formalities, officials said. PTI SSJ KSI
KSI
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