26/11 plotter Tahawwur Rana extradited from US, now on flight to India
Tahawwur Rana, accused of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has been extradited from the United States and is expected to arrive in India early tomorrow morning, accompanied by a special team of intelligence and investigative officials, sources told.
A special plane is carrying Rana and will also take a halt in between at an undisclosed location before reaching New Delhi, sources added.
In line with recommendations from a US court, discreet high-security arrangements have been put in place at two jails in Delhi and Mumbai. Top government sources have also informed that upon his arrival, Rana will be produced before a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in New Delhi for custody. Mumbai Crime Branch will get his custody later, they added.
The extradition operation is being closely overseen by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, alongside senior officials from the NIA and the Ministry of Home Affairs, sources added.
Rana, a Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman, is known to have been an active operative of the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). He played a pivotal role in facilitating travel documents for David Coleman Headley (alias Dawood Gilani), a Pakistani-American who conducted reconnaissance of key targets in Mumbai.
These locations were later attacked by LeT terrorists with logistical and strategic backing from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
Rana had reportedly travelled to Mumbai himself between November 11 and 21, 2008, via Dubai. During his stay at Hotel Renaissance in Powai, he is believed to have reviewed logistical preparations for the attacks.
The coordinated strikes took place just five days later, on November 26, resulting in the deaths of over 170 people. So far, only one LeT terrorist convicted for the deadly attack is Ajmal Kasab, who was captured alive by officials during the siege.
India formally requested Rana’s provisional arrest in June 2020, initiating the legal process for extradition. In February this year, US President Donald Trump confirmed Rana’s extradition and asserted that he would “go to India and face justice”.
Recently, the US Supreme Court denied Tahawwur Rana’s application seeking a stay on his extradition to India. The 64-year-old businessman is currently lodged in the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Los Angeles.
