Amid enhanced security measures and immigration restrictions placed by the Trump administration, a Baroda-based businessman has been taken into custody at an airport in the State of North Dakota.
Law enforcement officials said he was booked for “terrorising”, and held at the Grand Forks County Correctional Centre.
Paraman Radhakrishnan was on a week-long business trip to the U.S., and preparing to return home when he checked in for a flight from Grand Forks to Minneapolis, Minnesota, early on Saturday.
Mr. Radhakrishnan then allegedly entered into an altercation with airlines staff, and was accused of threatening that there was a “bomb in his bag”, local newspapers reported. “Police say the leading theory behind what may have caused the suspect to make these threats is that he became disgruntled with airport staff, but they say regardless of the reason, any threat of this nature at an airport is taken seriously,” Grand Forks police spokesperson Jay Middleton said.
Sushma silent
The businessman is expected to be produced in court on Monday, though the Centre and Gujarat Home Ministry officials claimed no knowledge of the arrest. Tweets from family members to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj appealing for help also were not responded to.
The Indian embassy in Washington told The Hindu that the consulate concerned has been told to “get in touch with the authorities and ascertain more details”.
“We have not received any details from the U.S. regarding the arrest of any person. Normally, the U.S. authorities first intimate the embassy in New Delhi, which would subsequently inform the Ministry of External Affairs, which would share details with the State authorities. We are the last to get information,” Pradipsinh Jadeja, Minister of State for Home and Non Resident Gujarati Affairs department, said.
Mr. Radhakrishnan’s family refused to comment on the matter until more details of the case were known.
However, sources confirmed that the businessman was allowed to call home for the mandatory “two minutes” to inform them of the arrest.
“It is all a misunderstanding, and we hope the matter will be resolved soon,” a source, aware of the case, said.
Airport evacuated
The arrest of the businessman had led to the Grand Forks international airport being evacuated and operations being closed while U.S. Transport Security Administration (TSA) officials and other agencies checked Mr. Radhankrishnan’s luggage and screened the area.
The case comes against the backdrop of protests at airports across the U.S. against President Donald Trump’s executive order that has banned the entry of citizens of seven countries even if they hold valid visas or dual nationalities for the next few months.
