‘Ken not accused, but he can’t leave country’

How Kenneth Haywood — the American national whose computer was used to send a terror threat e-mail few minutes before the Ahmedabad blasts and against whom a Look Out notice was issued — flew out of Delhi’s IGI airport, reports Presley Thomas.

How Kenneth Haywood — the American national whose computer was used to send a terror threat e-mail few minutes before the Ahmedabad blasts and against whom a Look Out notice was issued — flew out of Delhi’s IGI airport on Sunday night still puzzles senior officers with Mumbai’s anti-terrorist squad.

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The ATS issued a Look Out notice on July 30 and it was confirmed with Delhi authorities on August 16. “It’s absurd,” said Parambir Singh, Additional Commissioner Of Police (ATS). “We still do not know how he got out of the country despite a Look Out notice.” But Singh made it clear that the ATS would want Haywood for questioning.

“He had allegations against some ATS officials and we wanted to question him. The senior-most police officer in the ATS had summoned him and he did not adhere,” added Singh.

But when asked why ATS had not mounted surveillance on Haywood, Singh said he was neither a criminal nor an accused. The ATS still has his laptop and computer. But a report from the forensic laboratory does not indicate his involvement.

Singh said Haywood was free to move within the country. “He is not an accused and we cannot impose restrictions on a person we are questioning.” The only condition was that he should be available for investigation.