Ken Haywood declared clean chit by Police

Mumbai, Sep 12: US national Kenneth Haywood, who left the country while facing a probe in Ahmedabad serial blasts that killed 57 people in Ahmedabad returned to India and presented himself before the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) office in Mumbai on Thursday, Sep 11 to clear his name.
ATS' Additional Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh said that Haywood was no more under suspicion and will be called for statement if a need arises.

"As I told you that at this point of time we don't have any suspicion against him as per the enquiries that have been conducted till now. And we don't find need of any narco-analysis," Singh told reporters.

Haywood who works in a multi-national company in Mumbai was under scanner after a threatening e-mail sent before the serial blasts of July 26 was traced to Haywood's wireless internet connection at his residence.

A lookout notice was issued against him by ATS when he allegedly fled the country on August 17.

After returning to India, Haywood voluntarily met ATS officials and gave a statement that his allegations against ATS officers for bribery was fabrication of media.

ATS officials said that some other agency will look into the matter about his leaving the country without informing but at present he is free to move anywhere he wants to.

His advocate, G S Hedge, expressed satisfaction that his client was satisfied. They were happy that he voluntarily came there. They have taken down his statement, they are happy to know that he has come and given a statement. He had gone there for rest because he was under the impression that his name has been cleared and now he has come back form his vacations and he has attended the office," Hedge told reporters.

At least 16 bombs exploded in Ahmedabad on July 26, a day after another set of blasts in Bangalore that killed a woman. Three days later, several unexploded bombs were found in the Gujarat's Surat town.

A little-known group called the "Indian Mujahideen" claimed, in an e-mail sent five minutes before the first blast, that it carried out the Ahmedabad attack in revenge for 2002 massacre of around 2,500 people in Gujarat.

ANI