Who is Tahawwur Rana, the 26/11 Convict Being Extradited to India?

New Delhi: The US Supreme Court has approved the extradition of Mumbai attack convict Tahawwur Rana to India, dismissing his review petition against the move.

Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, is wanted by Indian authorities for his connection to the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. This was Rana’s last legal chance to avoid extradition to India. Earlier, he lost legal battles in several federal courts, including the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco.

On November 13, Rana filed a “petition for a writ of certiorari” before the US Supreme Court. However, the top court denied his plea on January 21, a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the US President.

Who is Tahawwur Rana?

Tahawwur Rana is a former military doctor who served in the Pakistan Army and has been charged for his alleged role in the Mumbai attacks, which killed 166 people. He was born in the Punjab province of Pakistan and later migrated to Canada after gaining citizenship. In Canada, he became an immigration services businessman.

In 2011, he was also charged with supporting the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba and plotting an attack on the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.

The 64-year-old, who is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, is closely associated with David Coleman Headley, a Pakistani American terrorist and one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Headley, also known as Daood Gilani, is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence in the US after being convicted for his role in planning the 2008 attacks in various locations across Mumbai.

What has Rana been charged with?

Rana is accused of providing logistical support and a blueprint that helped Lashkar-e-Taiba carry out the Mumbai attacks. According to reports, he has been charged with criminal conspiracy, waging or attempting to wage war against the Government of India, murder, forgery for the purpose of cheating, and other crimes under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

He is also wanted for his alleged involvement in planned attacks on the National Defence College and Chabad House, a Jewish outreach center in Mumbai.

Rana has remained in custody throughout the extradition process.

A total of 166 people, including six Americans, were killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 10 Pakistani terrorists laid a more than 60-hour siege, attacking and killing people at iconic and vital locations of Mumbai.

(Inputs from agencies)