US Pastor a suspect of Ahmedabad blasts, flees India

American national Kenneth Haywood, a suspect in the recent high–level Ahmedabad blasts, has been accused of fleeing the country without a prior notice, according to the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS).

A national daily has accused Haywood, a former pastor, for his links with a Christian group, Door Christian Centre, which is part of the Pentecostal Christian Fellowship Ministries, also called the Potter’s House.

The group is known for its puritan approach and radical views and has been caught in several controversies in the US and elsewhere, continues the report.

On the day of blasts, which killed over 45 people, a threatening e–mail was sent from Haywood's Internet Protocol address. Haywood was later subjected to polygraph tests and the ATS confirmed that terrorists had hacked his computer before sending the email although preliminary forensic analysis showed little likelihood of hacking.

Earlier, Parambir Singh, Additional Commissioner, ATS, Mumbai, told reporters that Haywood could not leave the country without permission, as he was required to be available for investigation.

Meanwhile, the latest reports now confirm that Haywood had no connection with any terrorist organisations and that he was only involved in church activities. The Indian government is in talk with their American counterparts to permit another inquiry into the pastor and the organizations activities in the country.