India Brings Back Tahawwur Rana, 26/11 Terror Accused Lands in Delhi in Gulfsreet 550 Aircraft

New Delhi: In a massive victory for India’s global counter-terrorism efforts under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s leadership, 26/11 Mumbai attacks accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana has finally been extradited from the United States.

The 64-year-old landed at Delhi’s Palam airport on Thursday evening amid high security and was being taken to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) headquarters. The successful extradition of Rana — a key conspirator in one of India’s deadliest terror attacks — marks a diplomatic and strategic win for New Delhi.

It highlights the Modi government’s firm commitment to hunting down every 26/11 perpetrator and ensuring they face the full force of Indian law, no matter how long it takes or where they try to hide. Meanwhile, Security has also been ramped up outside Delhi’s Patiala House Court, where Rana is expected to be produced shortly.   

Rana, 64, a key conspirator in the horrific 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, was brought back on a Gulfstream 550 aircraft by a joint team of the NIA and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), after his desperate attempts to block the extradition were rejected by US courts.

His return marks a massive milestone in India’s relentless pursuit of justice for the 166 innocent lives lost in the gruesome three-day assault carried out by 10 Pakistan-based terrorists. The attackers targeted Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, two five-star hotels, and a Jewish centre after entering via the Arabian Sea.

Rana is known to be a close aide of David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, a key plotter of the attacks.    

NIA Confirms Successful Extradition of 26/11 Accused Tahawwur Rana

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday successfully secured the extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the mastermind of the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, after years of sustained and concerted efforts to bring the key conspirator behind the 2008 mayhem to justice.
 
Rana was being held in judicial custody in the US 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 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 U.S. 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.
 
With the active assistance of USDoJ, the US Sky Marshal,  NIA worked closely with other Indian intelligence agencies, NSG through the entire extradition process, which also saw India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs coordinating with the other relevant authorities in the United States to take the matter to its 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. A total of 166 persons were killed and over 238 injured in the deadly attacks.
 
Both LeT and HUJI have been declared as terrorist organisations by the Government of India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. 

What Are the Charges Against Tahawwur Rana?

Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman, has been identified as a key operative of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). He played a crucial role in enabling David Headley to obtain travel documents and carry out reconnaissance of the Mumbai targets that were later attacked.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a detailed charge sheet against Rana in December 2011, naming him, David Headley, and six others as co-conspirators in the planning and execution of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

The charge sheet includes statements from 134 witnesses, 210 documents, and 106 emails. Among them is a chilling email from Headley’s wife, who congratulated him on his “graduation” and admitted to having “watched the show all day,” referring to televised coverage of the attacks.

NIA’s investigation revealed that Rana and Headley were in frequent contact in the lead-up to the massacre, with several emails exchanged as they coordinated the deadly plot.