The lone American who was arrested along with six Ukrainians last week by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for alleged drone warfare training, illegal border crossings and links to armed groups operating near India’s North-Eastern region is Matthew VanDyke. He has worn different hats and, according to his social media profile, calls himself an American spy, an international security analyst, foreign fighter, media personality and even a documentary filmmaker.However, what attracts attention is that he calls himself the “founder of the non-profit organisation Sons of Liberty International (SOLI)”.According to the Wikipedia page on him, whose link VanDyke has shared on his X profile, “he first gained fame during the Libyan Civil War as a foreign fighter on the side of the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi and as a prisoner of war.”His profile on X reads, “Founder, Sons of Liberty International. Fought in Libya+Ukraine. Run covert ops in Venezuela. FREE IRAN. And more…”According to NIA, all the seven accused had allegedly entered India illegally and imported drones from Europe for training purposes. All seven were on March 16 remanded in NIA custody until March 27 by a special NIA court. The agency is now probing as to how they managed to enter India, especially Mizoram, which is a restricted territory for foreigners and from there, they entered neighbouring Myanmar.Sources further informed that the persons who provided them logistical support to travel within the country and then cross over to Myanmar is also being investigated.NIA — in a statement on March 18 — said that “since the case is in the initial stage of investigation, we will not be able to share the details at this stage. The same will be shared at an appropriate time”.VanDyke was arrested from Kolkata airport by NIA on March 13. Three Ukrainian nationals were picked up from Lucknow airport and the remaining three from Delhi airport the same day. They have been charged under relevant Sections, including Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.The reaction of the US Embassy in India was muted regarding VanDyke’s arrest. “We are aware of the situation. However, for privacy reasons, we cannot comment on cases involving US citizens,” a US Embassy spokesperson had said on his arrest.However, the Ukraine Embassy was critical of the arrest of its six nationals as it sought consular access to them.The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said it has received a request for consular access from Kyiv following the arrest of six Ukrainian citizens.Addressing a press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said relevant government agencies are handling the matter in line with domestic laws and international obligations, while ensuring that legal processes are followed carefully.The Ukraine Embassy — in a detailed statement issued on Thursday — said, “Taking into account publicly available information in the case concerning the detention of six citizens of Ukraine, including media reports indicating that the initiation of this proceeding was prompted by information provided by the Russian side, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of India expresses serious concern regarding the presence of circumstances that point to a possible orchestrated and politically motivated nature of this case, as evidenced, in particular, by the facts known at this stage.”