Indian embassy mum on whether US help will be sought to question him
NEW YORK: Despite the security drill at Indian airports, Kenneth Haywood mysteriously skirted a lookout notice and flew out of the country from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Sunday night on Jet Airways’ long-haul flight 9W-230 to New York. He later caught another domestic flight at JFK Airport to get home to Phoenix, Arizona.
“I really don’t have anything to add to anything at this point. Thank you,” Haywood, who sounded exhausted, told DNA over the phone on Wednesday morning.
The Indian embassy in Washington declined to comment on whether India would seek US help in questioning Haywood. “We have seen the reports but cannot comment on the matter,” said embassy spokesman Rahul Chabra.
Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare has declined to say if India will seek Haywood’s extradition from the US in case he refuses to go back to Mumbai at a later stage to cooperate with the ongoing investigations. Legal experts here, however, believe there is no case for extradition even though India and the US have a Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.
“The treaty allows for cooperation in criminal, drug trafficking and terrorism-related matters,” said a New York attorney who did not want to be named. “There are procedural mechanisms to allow the US to provide assistance in connection with investigations but there is nothing American authorities can do as he hasn’t been charged with any crime. US lawmen can’t go anywhere near him.”
A terror message was sent from Campbell White executive Haywood’s hacked email account five minutes before serial blasts ripped through Ahmedabad on July 26.
Detectives from Maharashtra’s Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) have already questioned Haywood and his lie-detector tests are negative. But he had been advised by the ATS not to leave the country without permission. There was also a lookout circular (LOC) against him seeking denial of exit from any land, sea or airport of India. Police had not impounded Haywood’s passport as no charges have been filed against him.
Indian officials will need to provide the US with hard evidence that Haywood had a role in the Ahmedabad bombings if they want any access to the US national.
