FBI team detained at airport

Nov. 30: The 8-member Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) team that arrived in Mumbai at 11 am on Sunday, spent the entire day at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport because they did not have any official clearance to carry weapons.
A source from the customs said that the FBI team would be allowed to exit the airport after receiving clearances from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). “Usually, the clearance from MHA takes day or two. But in this case, we are expecting the clearance to come sooner.”
The source said that security personnel carrying weapons are cleared by the customs, provided they have prior clearance from the customs department. But the FBI team arrived without the customs’ clearance for carrying weapons.
“In that case, we approach the MHA for clearance. The FBI team had the option of surrendering their weapons and leave. They could have collected their weapons after the MHA’s clearance. But they did not want leave their weapons and preferred to wait at the airport until they had MHA clearance,” the source said.The US has sent the FBI team to assist in the probe into the Mumbai terror attacks. President George W. Bush pledged “full support” to India in its efforts to unearth the plot behind the deadly terror strikes.