The extradition and transfer of terrorist Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian suspected of taking part in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks (26/11), which claimed 166 lives, is being supervised by India’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Ajit Doval.
After a lengthy legal battle that saw the US Supreme Court deny his petition to prevent extradition earlier this year, Rana has been extradited from the US.
Rana is accused of helping his childhood friend David Coleman Headley scout targets for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) during the Mumbai attacks. Rana was previously serving a 14-year sentence in the US for planning a terrorist attack on a Danish newspaper.
Tahawwur Hussain Rana is a Pakistani-Canadian entrepreneur and former military physician who was born in Chichawatni, Pakistan, on January 12, 1961. Before moving to Canada in 1997, Rana was a captain in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps. Following his 2001 Canadian citizenship, he opened a number of businesses, such as a halal slaughterhouse and an immigration consultancy.
He kept up relationships with his childhood friend David Coleman Headley (formerly Daood Gilani), a major conspirator in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, despite leading a low-key life in Chicago.
Rana was linked to terrorism-related activities, such as plotting to attack the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and giving material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). He claimed that his trip to Mumbai and his stay at the Taj Hotel prior to the 26/11 attacks were for business. Evidence to the contrary implied an indirect connection between him and the plot.
A U.S. federal jury found Rana guilty of aiding terrorism in 2011, but he was not charged directly with the Mumbai attacks. He received a 14-year prison sentence.
David Headley, who was trained by both Pakistan’s ISI and LeT, was a key player in the Mumbai attacks. He was born Daood Sayed Gilani in Washington, D.C., in 1960. In order to evade extradition and the death penalty, he entered a guilty plea in 2010 and provided copious amounts of cooperation to U.S. authorities. Despite receiving a 35-year prison sentence, Headley’s plea deal protects him from being extradited to Denmark, India, or Pakistan.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently authorized Rana’s extradition to India for prosecution in connection with his alleged involvement in the Mumbai attacks, following years of legal proceedings. He is being detained in Los Angeles while he awaits a transfer.
India has long sought his extradition, despite a US court clearing him of direct involvement in the attacks. India believes he was a key conspirator who had extensive knowledge of Pakistan’s role in the attacks.
Rana was transferred to a chartered flight by a multi-agency Indian team that included representatives from the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
He is anticipated to reach India by Thursday morning, where he will be subjected to heightened security and questioned at an undisclosed location. Plans have been made to house him in a secure facility in Mumbai or Tihar Jail.
India has achieved a major diplomatic and counterterrorism win with this extradition, demonstrating its growing international prominence and capacity to engage in negotiations with allies such as the United States.
It also highlights India’s steadfast efforts to bring those responsible for the 26/11 attacks to justice.
