US mercenary Matthew VanDyke gets bail 6 months after NIA arrest

Matthew Aaron VanDyke, an American national arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for allegedly providing terrorist training to armed groups in Myanmar, was granted default bail by a Delhi court on Friday. VanDyke is one of seven foreign nationals arrested in the case.The NIA court at Rouse Avenue Court granted VanDyke bail on a bond of Rs 1 lakh and a surety of Rs 1 lakh. Default bail is granted when an investigating agency fails to file its chargesheet within the legally prescribed time.The court said VanDyke will have to remain in Delhi after his release and appear before the NIA whenever he is called for questioning as part of the investigation.VanDyke had sought default bail, arguing that the investigation had not been completed within the legally prescribed period.The court also observed that the six Ukrainian nationals arrested in the same case would be entitled to bail on similar grounds.WHAT IS THE CASE AGAINST VANDYKEThe NIA arrested VanDyke and six Ukrainian nationals in March 2026 in connection with allegations that they had travelled to Myanmar and provided training in weapons and drone operations to ethnic armed groups.VanDyke was arrested at Kolkata airport on March 13, while the six Ukrainians — Petro Hurba, Taras Slyviak, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Marian Stefankiv, Maksim Honcharuk and Viktor Kaminskyi — were arrested at airports in Delhi and Lucknow.- EndsPublished By: Anuja JhaPublished On: Sep 18, 2026 15:59 IST