New Delhi, April 10: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday successfully secured the extradition of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana. This has been possible after continuous and concerted efforts for several years to bring the main conspirator of the 2008 terror attack to justice.
Rana is accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley alias Dawood Gilani to carry out the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. A total of 166 people were killed and more than 238 were injured in these attacks. Terrorist organizations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HuJI) and other Pakistan-based conspirators were behind the attack.
Both Lashkar-e-Taiba and HuJI have been declared terrorist organisations by the Government of India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
The NIA has issued an official statement on Rana’s extradition. According to this, Rana was kept in judicial custody in the US under the Indo-US Extradition Treaty. Rana tried all legal avenues to stop extradition. India obtained a surrender warrant from the US government for the wanted terrorist and after this the extradition proceedings started between the two countries. Today finally the extradition was possible.
The District Court of the Central District of California ordered Rana’s extradition on 16 May 2023. After this, Rana filed several appeals, which were rejected. After this he filed a writ of certiorari, two habeas corpus petitions and an emergency application before the US Supreme Court. They were also rejected.
The NIA, with assistance from the US Department of Justice, Sky Marshals and in collaboration with Indian intelligence agencies, NSG, completed the entire extradition process, including the Ministries of External Affairs and Home Affairs and coordinated with other relevant authorities in the US to bring the case to a successful conclusion.
