US national Matthew Aaron VanDyke appeared before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court at Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court complex on Friday, 23 October 2026, after returning from the United States, CNN-News18 reported.
VanDyke had been granted permission by the court in September to travel to the US for one month to meet his family. The court had directed him to return to India, appear before it and inform the court within 72 hours of his arrival. He has complied with these directions.
On 18 September 2026, the Special NIA Court granted VanDyke default bail after observing that the chargesheet filed by the NIA on September 8 was incomplete.
VanDyke had spent more than 180 days in custody following his arrest on March 13, 2026. The NIA had arrested him along with six Ukrainian nationals in a case involving allegations that they had provided drone warfare training and related operational assistance to ethnic armed groups in Myanmar.
UAPA Charges Dropped, Immigration Provisions Invoked
While granting default bail, the Special NIA Court invoked Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, while dropping the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) under which the accused had initially been arrested.
Following his release, VanDyke paid ₹5.5 lakh in compounding charges to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) to settle the alleged immigration violations under the Immigration and Foreigners Act.
His legal team has also indicated plans to seek his discharge from the case.
What Are The Allegations Against VanDyke?
The NIA arrested VanDyke and six Ukrainian nationals—Maksym Honcharuk, Petro Hubra, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Marian Stefankiv, Taras Slyviak and Viktor Kaminskyi on 13 March 2026.
According to the allegations, the accused entered India on tourist visas, travelled to Mizoram without the required permits and crossed into Myanmar, where they allegedly trained ethnic armed groups in drone warfare and related operations.
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