The Hindu : Former U.S. foreign service official held

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 19, 2003

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Former U.S. foreign service official held

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI DEC. 18. A 72-year-old American national, who was on his way to the United States from Afghanistan, was arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport for allegedly carrying firearms on board an Ariana airlines flight in the wee hours of Thursday. The airport police recovered four pistols and four rifles from his luggage.

The accused, Charles Grader Raymond, while disembarking through the diplomatic channel at the airport, was stopped by some Customs officials for questioning.

A thorough search of his luggage revealed eight firearms. A joint team of airport and intelligence officials subjected Charles to intense interrogation.

According to police, Charles disclosed that he was a former foreign service official and was presently working on agriculture and irrigation development in Afghanistan as a United States representative. Charles claimed that the pistols and the rifles recovered were antiques and over 100 years old.

The firearms had the markings of Enfield inscribed on them.

However, it is understood that he was not carrying any authentic documents in this regard. Initial investigations revealed that while boarding the flight from Kabul, Charles had not disclosed that he was carrying weapons.

After interrogation, the airport police booked Charles under the Arms Act and produced him in a Delhi court today, which sent him to a 14-day judicial custody. The police said Charles was to board a Lufthansa flight from the IGI Airport to Frankfurt and then to Boston.

Earlier this year, an Afghan prince, Zahir Khan, was held at the airport for allegedly carrying a firearm.

The prince had also claimed that he was carrying antiques.

In yet another case reported this September, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the IGI Airport arrested a man carrying a pistol and seven cartridges.

The accused, Iqbal Ali, had come to the capital along with his wife and a child by an Ariana airlines flight.

The airport officials expressed concern over such incidents and said they would inform their Afghan counterparts and request them to maintain extra vigilance at the Kabul airport to prevent such incidents.

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