‘Terror plot’: Who is Matthew VanDyke, the US citizen arrested by India’s NIA?

Team TOI PlusTIMESOFINDIA.COM
Mar 20, 2026 | 11:51 IST

The 46-year-old, who calls himself a security consultant, is among the 7 foreign nationals arrested for ‘terror conspiracy’ and illegal entry into Myanmar via Mizoram. Here’s what we know about the Baltimore-born, Georgetown-educated man

He first came to prominence during the 2011 Libyan Civil War, fighting as a foreign volunteer against the Muammar Gaddafi regime. Three years later, he founded Sons of Liberty International, a non-profit security consultancy, and went on to assist the Libyan National Army. Since 2020, he has trained and advised Ukrainian forces in their fight against Russia.

More recently, 46-year-old Matthew Aaron VanDyke turned his attention to Myanmar’s civil war, an involvement that has now landed him in legal trouble in India.
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