NEW DELHI, Aug 19: There was growing anger on Tuesday over the mysterious way in which an American visitor, whose laptop computer has been linked to the recent blasts in Ahmedabad, was allowed to leave the country before he could be questioned. Police have rounded up mainly Muslim suspects.

Newspapers said Kenneth Haywood left with his family from Mumbai airport for home hours after Indian sleuths probing the blasts said they needed to investigate him.

Communalism Combat, a liberal magazine, condemned what it said was “the laxity shown by central intelligence agencies for US national Kenneth Haywood for leaving the country when the Maharashtra ATS (Anti Terrorist Squad) had served a lockout notice against him and he was still under investigation.”

The magazine’s editor Teesta Setalvad said the sudden departure of Mr Haywood while investigations are still on into the Ahmedabad bombings raises suspicions. “Immigration at airports comes under the Central IB and the police official in charge of immigration is on deputation to IB. It turns out that Haywood was allowed to leave on his own passport.”

Both the Central IB and Maharashtra need to answer concerns of the Indian public, Ms Setalvad said.