26/11 attacks accused to be taken to Delhi for questioning by NIA; Rana is being flown to India under the coordination of an Additional Director General of Police (ADG)-rank officer from the National Investigation Agency (NIA)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrives for a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Wednesday, regarding Tahawwur Rana’s extradition. PIC/ANI
Tahawwur Hussain Rana—a Canadian national of Pakistani origin—is being extradited to India after the US Supreme Court rejected his appeal against his extradition. Rana is being flown to India under the coordination of an Additional Director General of Police (ADG)-rank officer from the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The operation for his extradition is being carefully managed, and Rana will first be taken to Delhi, where the NIA has registered a separate conspiracy case in connection with the 26/11 attacks, filed in 2009.
The main case related to the 26/11 terror attack remains with the Mumbai Crime Branch, which continues its investigation. It is yet to be decided if Rana’s custody will be handed over to the Crime Branch, but arrangements have already been made for his incarceration at Arthur Road Jail, in accordance with the extradition standards set by the US. Sources have indicated that Rana will be kept in the same barrack where 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab was previously held.
Tahawwur Rana. FILE PIC/PTI
Rana was initially arrested in Chicago in 2009, for allegedly planning an attack on a Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. He was convicted in 2011 for his involvement in aiding the Pakistani jihadist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and in the planning of an attack in Denmark. After serving a 14-year sentence, he was released in 2020 but detained again following the Indian government’s request for his extradition due to his role in the 26/11 attacks. In May 2023, a Los Angeles court found him eligible for extradition, which led to his transfer to India.
Tahawwur Rana’s role in 26/11 attacks
Rana’s involvement in the 26/11 terror attack was outlined in a 405-page fifth supplementary charge sheet filed by the Mumbai Crime Branch. According to the charge sheet, Rana played a significant role as a co-conspirator during his stay in India from November 11 to November 21, 2008. Evidence confirms that Rana was in Mumbai on November 20 and 21, 2008, staying at a hotel in Powai. The charge sheet also mentions that a few days before the attacks, he left India and traveled to Beijing via Dubai.
Throughout the investigation, the Mumbai Crime Branch has gathered evidence from 14-15 crucial witnesses. A senior officer stated that there is substantial evidence linking Rana with David Headley, who was also involved in the planning of the attacks. Rana is accused of coordinating the attacks with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan and providing critical support to the LeT operatives involved in the attack. The Crime Branch found that, during his stay, Rana discussed crowded places in the city with the staff of the hotel where he was staying. Some of the places discussed were later targeted by the attackers, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.
Furthermore, police discovered email exchanges between Rana and David Coleman Headley. Headley asked Rana about one Shiv Sena worker, whom he had sought assistance from during his Mumbai visit. In his response, Rana advised Headley to consult Major Iqbal, one of the 26/11 handlers from Pakistan. The Crime Branch had earlier recorded statements of the Shiv Sena worker who had confirmed that Headley met him near Shiv Sena Bhavan. He assumed that Headley was a tourist and sought to visit the Bhavan and Matoshree.
Rana faces charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Explosive Substances Act, and for causing damage to public property. This charge sheet is the fourth submitted by the Mumbai Crime Branch in relation to the 26/11 attacks in 2023. The first charge sheet, filed in 2009, was against Ajmal Kasab, who was hanged in 2012. Of the other accused, Abu Jindal is still facing trial, while Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Shaikh were acquitted after spending 12 years in jail.
The 26/11 attacks, which claimed the lives of 166 people, including the martyrdom of ATS chief Hemant Karkare, caused over 300 injuries. Despite numerous arrests, 49 accused individuals linked to the attack remain at large, reportedly in Pakistan. The extradition of Tahawwur Rana is a significant development in the pursuit of justice for the victims of the 26/11 tragedy. In February, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis had expressed confidence that Rana would be brought to Mumbai to face justice.
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