Indian extradited from Rwanda on terrorism charges

An Indian national accused of being a member of a militant group was extradited from Rwanda to his home country, police said on Wednesday.

Salman Khan was arrested in Rwanda in early September on the request of Indian authorities, the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) told AFP.

The 40-year-old, who faces terrorism charges in India, had been operating a small shop in Rwanda’s capital, RIB secretary general Jeannot Ruhunga said.

The Rwandan authorities could not confirm the name of the militant group.

Rwanda’s national broadcaster RBA showed images of Khan in handcuffs and sandwiched between two police officers before he was handed over to Indian officials at the Kigali International Airport.

“He was regarded as a prime suspect within this terror group and was allegedly involved in radicalisation and terrorist activities against the state of India,” John Bosco Siboyintore, the head of international crimes at RIB, told AFP.

Rwanda and India do not have an extradition treaty but the request had been cleared by the justice department on the principle of reciprocity, he said.

“Rwanda cannot be a safe haven for criminals,” said Siboyintore.

AFP