Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a 64-year-old Pakistani-born Canadian and a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, was extradited to India from the US after a lengthy legal battle. Indian authorities received him in Los Angeles, and he landed in Delhi on Thursday. He will be housed in Tihar Jail under high security. Upon arrival at Palam airport, he was taken to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) headquarters in a bulletproof vehicle. Rana’s extradition marks a significant diplomatic win for India, with the US Bureau of Prisons removing his name from custody records on April 8.
Rana is set to face extensive interrogation by a multi-agency team comprising NIA officials, intelligence personnel, and criminologists. The focus will be on exposing his links with Pakistan’s ISI, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and any Indian collaborators. Intelligence sources revealed that Rana had contacted fellow 26/11 plotter David Coleman Headley 231 times while in India and carried out eight reconnaissance missions. His questioning is expected to provide critical insights into the planning and execution of the deadly Mumbai attacks.
A high-level security review was held in New Delhi prior to Rana’s arrival, involving Home Minister Amit Shah, NSA Ajit Doval, and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. Advocate Narender Mann has been appointed as the special public prosecutor in the case. If moved to Mumbai, Rana might be placed in the same Arthur Road Jail cell once occupied by Ajmal Kasab, the only attacker captured alive during the 26/11 attacks. Rana was previously convicted in the US for providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group behind the attacks that left over 174 people dead.
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