A multi-agency Indian task force comprising intelligence officials, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and criminology experts is set to interrogate Tahawwur Rana upon his arrival in Delhi on Thursday. Rana, a key conspirator in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, was extradited from the U.S. after the official handover by American authorities in Los Angeles. His custody transfer was reflected in the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons database, showing that he is no longer held in the United States. Ahead of his return, top Indian officials including Home Minister Amit Shah, NSA Ajit Doval, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar reviewed security arrangements and devised a strategy for his arrival.
Rana’s role in the 26/11 attacks was central, according to the NIA’s 2011 chargesheet. He allegedly aided fellow conspirator David Headley by helping him acquire an Indian visa and establishing a Mumbai-based front company for surveillance operations. Rana traveled through multiple Indian cities just before the attacks and remained in close contact with Headley, coordinating plans that extended beyond Mumbai, including possible strikes on the National Defence College and Chabad Houses. Investigators also linked Rana to a Pakistani ISI officer, Major Iqbal, highlighting the depth of international coordination in the attacks.
Initially arrested by the FBI in 2009 for a separate terror plot in Denmark, Rana was convicted in the U.S. but acquitted specifically of involvement in the 26/11 attacks. India pursued his extradition relentlessly, obtaining an Interpol Red Corner Notice and contesting his legal appeals in U.S. courts. Rana filed multiple petitions to delay his extradition, including emergency requests to two Supreme Court justices, but all were denied. On April 7, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court formally dismissed his final appeal, clearing the way for his return to India for prosecution.
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