‘Mastermind’: NIA on 26/11 Accused Tahawwur Rana After Extradition to India

‘Mastermind’: The NIA of India has confirmed that on Thursday Rana, the prime accused of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, was extradited from the USA.

Attached to another of the Mumbai attack masterminds’ David Coleman Headley, Rana was jailed in America since his arrest in a separate case based on US laws in October 2009. It was Rana who arranged the obtaining of a visa and SIM cards for Headley during the latter’s travel to India when the terrorist was still putting the plan of attack together in 2006.

The Indian authorities made a sustained effort to get Rana extradited since his role in one of the deadliest attacks on the country's soil came to lights. 166 people lost their lives when 10 terrorists associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba held India’s financial capital under siege from November 26 to 29, 2008.

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What did NIA say on Tahawwur Rana's extradition?

The NIA on Thursday confirmed that it successfully secured the extradition of one Tahawur Hussain Rana, "mastermind of the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks."

The agency said that the development came after "years of sustained and concerted efforts" to bring the "key conspirator behind the 2008 mayhem to justice."

The NIA, in its press release, informed that Rana was held in judicial custody in the USA "pursuant to proceedings initiated under the India-US Extradition Treaty for his extradition."

“The extradition finally came through after Rana exhausted all legal avenues to stay the move,” the press release stated.

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“The District Court for the Central District of California had ordered his extradition on 16th May 2023. Rana then filed multiple litigations in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, all of which were rejected. He subsequently filed a petition for a writ of certiorari, two habeas petitions, and an emergency application before the US Supreme Court, which were also denied. The extradition proceedings were initiated between the two countries after India eventually secured a surrender warrant for the wanted terrorist from the US government,” the statement further said.

The federal probe agency asserted that with the active assistance of the US department of justice and the US sky marshal, the process was completed. The NIA also worked closely with other Indian intelligence agencies, like the national security guard (NSG), throughout the entire extradition process. The Ministry of external affairs and home ministry coordinated with all other relevant authorities in the United States to bring the matter to a successful conclusion.

“Rana is accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley @ Daood Gilani, and operatives of designated terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI) along with other Pakistan-based co-conspirators, to carry out the devastating terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008,” the NIA statement added.

The agency said that the development came after "years of sustained and concerted efforts" to bring the "key conspirator behind the 2008 mayhem to justice."

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