New Delhi, Feb. 11: A 61-year-old US national was detained at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here by the CISF on Wednesday morning after a 4.3-inch-long knife-blade was found concealed in a hard stone-like object in his hand baggage, CISF

officials said on Thursday. The man, identified as Winston Marshal Carmichael, was to travel from New Delhi to Doha (Qatar) on a Qatar Airways flight on Wednesday when the X-ray screening of his hand baggage revealed a blade embedded in a stone-like object at about 3.10 am. Carmichael told security agencies that the stone-like object was "Shilajit" (a Himalayan herb known for anti-ageing and aphrodisiacal properties) and that he had procured it from Pakistan. Carmichael reportedly told the CISF that he is based in New York where he works as a businessman.

CISF sources said that Carmichael had also told officials that he had earlier been to both Pakistan and Bangladesh and had converted to Islam 15 years ago. He had also apparently visited some madrasas in India. Intelligence sources said he had also been preaching at madrasas and had introduced himself as a theologist. He is now being investigated for suspected terror links. Security agencies are also probing whether there could be any link to the David Headley case. Carmichael’s mother is reportedly African-American and his father is of South Asian origin. From Doha, he was supposed to catch a connecting flight to New York.

CISF sources said that initially it could not be ascertained physically as to where the blade was concealed. Carmichael expressed complete ignorance of any blade-like object in his hand-baggage. Finally, all the items in his hand-baggage were taken out. The stone-like object was broken and out came the blade. CISF officials said the recovery was serious and definitely amounted to an offence. Carmichael was also not able to explain the presence of the blade. CISF sources said they have has lodged a complaint against Carmichael with the Delhi police.

"A knife-like object, which had evaded manual check-up by security agencies, was recovered from his cabin bag and it was embedded in Shilajit, an anti-ageing herbal product. He was immediately handed him over to the Delhi police who will be questioning him," CISF deputy inspector-general Uddhyaan Banerjee told this newspaper.

CISF sources said that suspicions were aroused both due to the fact that the knife was concealed as well as the fact that Carmichael had visited both Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Carmichael, who is being questioned by the Intelligence Bureau and Delhi police, had travelled between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh over the last four months. According to intelligence sources, he first visited India on October 7, 2009 and stayed in the Nizamuddin area in New Delhi. Five days later, on October 12, he crossed the Attari border and went to Pakistan where he stayed for nearly two months. Sources also said that on January 7 this year, he boarded a flight from Karachi to Dhaka before coming to India on January 27. Winston had came to Delhi via Kolkata. His passport number is 422836049 and gives his date of birth as March 8, 1949.

The special cell of the Delhi police, along with the Foreigners’ Regional Registration Office (FRRO), took Carmichael to Lampur Sewa Sadan, a detention centre for foreigners, on Thursday afternoon in north Delhi for questioning. Delhi police sources said he has not been arrested so far.

Delhi police sources said Carmichael has earlier been charged with drug-related offences as well as some petty crimes in the US but it was being verified whether he has any terror links. During questioning, Carmichael, who entered India on a tourist visa from Bangladesh through the Haridaspur border, told investigators that he has been living in Delhi for nearly a fortnight and was staying at a hotel in Hazrat Nizamuddin.

His visa itinerary revealed that he had travelled to a few countries in West Asia and some Southeast Asian countries in the past two years before entering India two weeks ago from Bangladesh.

"He holds multiple visas and has travelled to Dubai, Qatar, Pakistan and a few other countries in the past two years. He had been to Pakistan before entering India," a source revealed.

Carmichael is believed to have told his interrogators that he has three wives and 19 children. The authorities have informed the American embassy in New Delhi which is checking his records in the US.

Age Correspondents