Vijay Kumar

Who is Vijay Kumar?

Vijay Kumar is an Indian documentary filmmaker who was arrested in the U.S. after brass knuckles and "jihadi literature" were allegedly found in his baggage.

The 40-year-old resident of Malad, Mumbai, was detained by the Houston International Airport security on August 20, 2010, after he was allegedly noticed acting suspicious and Islamic "fundamentalist" literature and brass knuckles were discovered in his bag.

After being in jail for 20 days, Kumar pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 days in jail and given credit for the time served. After he made bail for the state charge on August 23, federal authorities revoked his visa and detained him, without bail. Kumar told authorities that he came to U.S. to participate in a conference organised by the Hindu Congress of America. He is reported to have been active in conducting seminars against jihadism, and to have made "a number of documentaries,... also made a commercial film on jihad".

After being freed from U.S., Kumar travelled to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where he was detained again by the Canadian Border Services Agency on September 14, 2010, and put up in a motel near the airport.