The family of Matthew VanDyke, the US mercenary who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in March 2026, has sought an “urgent” US diplomatic intervention to secure his release. On 30th August, the Sons of Liberty International issued a statement in which it said that VanDyke’s family demands a US diplomatic intervention, claiming that VanDyke’s health is deteriorating.
Family of Matthew VanDyke seeks US diplomatic intervention alleging ‘illegal detention’, denial of treatment at a private hospital, and communication with family
The Sons of Liberty International (SOLI) portrayed Matthew VanDyke as a mere US citizen and NGO director, who remains under “illegal detention” by the Indian authorities. VanDyke’s family and SOLI lamented that the US mercenary, currently lodged in Tihar Jail, was allegedly denied prescription medicines and frequent communication with his family.
“Family of Matthew Aaron Van Dyke, United States citizen, NGO director, seek urgent US diplomatic intervention after his illegal detention at Kolkata airport on March 11th, and transfer from NIA headquarters April 6th with an injured leg, diminished eyesight, as well as being denied his prescription meds, and communication with family. Presently detained at Tihar jail 8/9,” the statement reads.
Further, the SOLI statement highlights the Delhi Court denied VanDyke’s request for treatment at a private hospital and communication with his family in the US. It further lamented the court decisions denying both his request for treatment and communication with family.
The statement plays the emotional victim card for better impact, repeatedly emphasising VanDyke’s supposed physical weakness and denial of regular communication with his 80-year-old mother.
“Advocates Rohit Dandriyal and Rohit Gour, his legal counsel, applied to the Delhi Court for Matthew’s medical treatment at a private hospital and for proper communication to be established with his family, who reside in the U.S.. His mother who is over 80, was only allowed a 5-minute emergency call with him months ago! However, the Delhi Court denied both application requests on June 1st alleging foreign government communications. Matthew was too weak to stand or walk during a court appearance, and utilizes a wheelchair to meet with his attorneys,” the statement adds.
The family of @Matt_VanDyke seeks urgent U.S. diplomatic intervention as Matthew VanDyke is presently still denied basic detainee rights, and is being kept in solitary confinement at Tihar Jail 8/9 in Delhi, India. It is time to bring #MatthewVanDyke back home! #FreeVanDyke pic.twitter.com/g1CrRnMnDF
— Matthew VanDyke (@Matt_VanDyke) August 30, 2026
US Ambassador Sergio Gor spoke to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about Matthew VanDyke
The statement posted on VanDyke’s X account also claims that the US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, “briefed” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri about VanDyke’s case during Rubio’s May visit to India. It also mentioned VanDyke’s hunger strike inside prison.
“Ambassador Gor previously briefed Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Secretary Rubio on Matthew’s situation during his visit to Delhi, India May 24-26,” the statement reads.
Matthew VanDyke’s family is actively lobbying the US power circles, including Congressional offices, and the State Department to secure his release from Tihar Jail and return to the US.
“Matthew’s mother Sharon Van Dyke, and Gia Santos spokesperson for the family visited DC June 1-3 and again July 8/9th to speak with Congressional offices, and the State Department. Judicial custody extension is through Sept 8th. The family seeks urgent US diplomatic intervention. It is time to bring Matthew Van Dyke back home,” it adds.
“This is a humanitarian emergency for our family. Matthew has spent his life documenting human suffering and supporting people in crisis. We are pleading for his safe return home,” VanDyke’s mother said.
Matthew VanDyke is not in Tihar Jail for being an NGO director or US citizen
While SOLI and VanDyke’s family portray him as a mere NGO director ‘illegally detained’ by Indian authorities, Matthew VanDyke is under judicial custody due to his involvement in a plot to recruit and train anti-India elements to commit acts of terrorism against the country.
VanDyke was nabbed alongside 6 Ukrainian citizens on 13th March after they entered Mizoram without valid permits and reached Myanmar illegally. They contacted banned organisations associated with militancy and provided them with weapons, including drones and other terrorist hardware, along with training.
VanDyke and other arrested accused persons brought a huge consignment of drones from Europe through India. The investigation revealed that all the accused had entered India on valid visas but reached Mizoram without the mandatory Restricted Area Permit (RAP).
The NIA revealed that these foreigners acknowledged being in direct touch with the militants brandishing AK-47 rifles during interrogation. The probe agency disclosed that a party of 14 Ukrainians travelled to Guwahati and then Mizoram after landing in India on tourist visas. They trained ethnic militias, entered Myanmar illicitly and helped supply drone consignments from Europe to networks connected to armed groups.
VanDyke and other perpetrators have been charged with criminal conspiracy and other offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as the matter remains under investigation.
Matthew VanDyke is not a mere NGO director; he is a trained mercenary
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1981, Matthew Aaron VanDyke had been a prisoner-of-war in Libya as he had joined the rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi. Before becoming a combatant and trainer in multiple conflicts, VanDyke worked as an adventurer-filmmaker.
He went on solo cycling expeditions across North Africa and the Middle East, from Morocco to Syria and Turkey, becoming the only American citizen to cross Libya by motorcycle under dictator Muammar Gaddafi. For some time, VanDyke lived in Iraq, embedded as a war correspondent with American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
VanDyke also completed a 2010 Iraq-Iran-Afghanistan motorbike trek with photographer Daniel Britt. It was footage from these trips that formed the basis of VanDyke’s award-winning documentary, Point and Shoot (2014). VanDyke was detained over 20 times, all this while in Iraq, and was even accused by Iran of espionage.
When the Libyan Civil War broke out, VanDyke joined the rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi in addition to filming it. After fighting alongside rebel troops, he was taken prisoner by Gaddafi’s government and held in solitary confinement for almost six months before making his way back to the front lines. VanDyke was paraded by the Gaddafi regime on state television.
He was accused of being a CIA-linked American spy and carrying CIA-provided espionage-related equipment.
Between 2012 and 2014, Matthew VanDyke stayed in Syria’s Aleppo, wherein he filmed an award-winning short documentary “Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution”. This self-financed documentary was made with the motive to garner global support for anti-Assad rebels.
In 2014, Matthew VanDyke formed the Sons of Liberty International after his friends, American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, were executed by ISIS. Operating as a licensed 501(c)(3) non-profit, SOLI is essentially a private security contracting company.
The SOLI admittedly provides supplies, military training, and consulting services at no cost to “vulnerable populations” facing terrorist groups and authoritarian regimes. The Nineveh Plain Protection Units (NPU), an Assyrian Christian group battling ISIS, were trained by SOLI during its first deployments in Iraq.
Both Matthew VanDyke and SOLI have been actively training, advising, and supplying the Armed Forces of Ukraine against Russia.
“I can bring in 10 or 20 of my guys, and we can train thousands of Ukrainians very quickly and very competently. And we can also train Ukrainians to become trainers themselves, so that Ukraine can tap into all the manpower it has. Because they’re not allowing men of military age to leave the country, they have a reserve of millions of potential soldiers, but they have no way to train them,” VanDyke told Newsweek.
VanDyke had also claimed to have participated in America’s regime change operation in Venezuela.
OpIndia reported earlier about VanDyke’s social media footprint, his deep ideological support rooted in his profound belief in Christianity, for the ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) in Myanmar, and anti-Ayatollah activities in Iran.
VanDyke’s footprints have been traced in Ukraine, Venezuela, the Philippines, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt, Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco, Jordan, Turkey, Spain and now towards Myanmar, through India.
There is an unmissable pattern, Matthew VanDyke has his footprint in almost all the countries where the American government has had significant foreign policy interests, with Ukraine being the highest priority theatre.
VanDyke’s presence in Myanmar also aligns with American foreign policy interests. The Myanmarese military junta, Tatmadaw, has the military and diplomatic backing of Russia and China, and Russia also supplies oil to Myanmar. In such a case, the US needs to back anti-junta elements to drain Russia of its resources to force the Kremlin into discontinuing its war against Ukraine.
Reports say that Matthew VanDyke failed a CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) polygraph many years ago. VanDyke denies his CIA links; however, his activities in countries America has geopolitical interests in indicate that VanDyke is not a clean NGO director as his family and mercenary outfit, Sons of Liberty International, claim.
OpIndia has reported extensively on how the US mercenary Matthew VanDyke worked closely with the CIA and MI6 front.
