Tahawwur Hussain Rana, key accused in the 26/ 11 Mumbai terror attacks, was on Thursday brought to India from the United States, nearly 17 years after the mayhem in which 166 people were killed.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday evening formally arrested Rana, immediately after his arrival at IGIA, New Delhi.
According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) , it successfully secured the extradition of Rana, the alleged mastermind of the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, after years of sustained and concerted efforts.
Rana was being held in judicial custody in the US pursuant to proceedings initiated under the India-US Extradition Treaty.
The extradition finally came through after Rana exhausted all legal avenues to stay the move, while the US Supreme court rejected his final plea recently.
With the active assistance of US DoJ, the US Sky Marshal, NIA worked closely with other Indian intelligence agencies, including the National Security Guard, through the entire extradition process, which also saw the Ministry of External Affairs and Home Ministry’s coordination with the other relevant authorities in the US to take the matter to its successful conclusion.
The District Court for the Central District of California had ordered his extradition on 16th May 2023, and then Rana had 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.
Rana is an accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley alias 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 the LeT and HUJI have been declared as terrorist organizations by the Government of India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
Rana’s successful extradition is being seen as an important diplomatic win for the country, but also a significant step towards pursuit of justice for the victims of the ghastly terror attack in Mumbai.
As per allegations against Headley and Rana in the anti-terror probe agency’s case, both entered into a criminal conspiracy with members of Lashkar-E-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul Jihadi Islami (HUJI), to commit terrorist acts in New Delhi and other places in India.