26/11 Conspirator Tahawwur Rana’s Lawyer Wrote Last Minute Letters to Marco Rubio’s Office to Stop Extradition

New Delhi: As the Donald Trump administration was finalizing the approval of Tahawwur Rana’s extradition, his lawyer, John D Cline made one last attempt to stop it.

On January 21, 2025, lawyer John D. Cline wrote a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accessed by Republic TV, asking him not to hand over Rana to India. He warned that his client could be tortured in Indian jails and might even die due to his poor health.

In the letter, Cline said:

• "Rana was previously tried and acquitted in a federal court in Chicago for the same conduct”.
   
• "Rana played at most a peripheral role in David Headley’s plot”
   
• “Human rights record and jail conditions in India and his "deteriorating health.”

“Dr Rana’s extradition to India would mark the first time in this country’s history that a person tried and acquitted in a United States court was surrendered to another country to face a second trial for the same conduct on which an American jury acquitted him. Extraditing Rana to face the death penalty in India would set a shocking precedent that would call into question the finality of what has until now been sacrosanct: acquittal by a jury of ordinary American citizens following a full and fair trial,” Cline said in his January 21 letter.

Rubio Says No Extradition Approved

But just three weeks later, on February 11, Marco Rubio’s office replied. In a letter sent by Oliver Lewis, a legal adviser, the US government made it clear: Rana would be extradited.

The letter stated that sending Rana to India followed all international rules, especially the United Nations Convention Against Torture.

The US even offered to pass on any updated medical records to Indian officials to help them prepare for Rana’s treatment.

“However,” the letter added, “with the warrant issued, Rana may be surrendered at any time. So we need the medical info quickly.”

Courts Rejected All His Appeals

Rana had already lost several cases in US courts:

• In August 2023, a district judge in California rejected his plea.
   
• In August 2024, the Ninth Circuit Court turned down his appeal.
   
• In February 2025, both courts again supported the extradition, saying Rana’s arguments had “no chance of success.”

Who is Tahawwur Rana?

Rana, a Canadian citizen born in Pakistan , is accused of helping the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group in planning the 26/11 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people, including six Americans.

He was arrested in the US and fought for years to avoid being sent to India. But now, after all legal options failed, he was handed over to India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday.

Now in Delhi Facing Investigation

Rana arrived in Delhi on Thursday evening. The NIA has 18-day custody to question him about his role in the 2008 attack and his links to Pakistani handlers.

‘Glad That Day Has Come’

Recently, Rubio said that the US, together with India, has long sought justice for the 2008 Mumbai attacks. "I'm glad that day has come," Rubio said.

Reacting to Rubio's post on X, Jaishankar said, "This is indeed a big step in ensuring justice for the victims of the 26/11 attacks."