Mumbai attacks convict Tahawar Hussain Rana has exhausted his legal options to avoid extradition to India. This clears the odds to bring him back to face charges for what is counted among the deadliest terror attacks around the world.
The 2008 terrorist attacks shook the country’s financial capital Mumbai. At least 166 people were killed in attacks by Lashkar-e-Tabiba (LTTE), a banned outfit.
Ajmal Kasab, the only attacker captured alive, was convicted in the case. Two more masterminds are yet to be brought to justice, Rana is one of them.
Another legend is that of Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, an Indian operative who worked for the Lashkar terror group. He was arrested in 2012 after being identified by Kasab and is currently imprisoned in Mumbai.
Who is Tahawur Rana?
Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, previously worked as a doctor for the Pakistan Army. He had prior knowledge of the attacks, and a federal jury convicted him in 2011 of helping LeT with material support.
He was also known for his involvement with Pakistani-American David Headley, who was among the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks. Rana and Hadley were arrested by the FBI in 2009 for plotting an attack against a Danish newspaper. During his interrogation in the US, Hadley had revealed to Indian authorities that he had traveled to India five times between 2007 and 2008 to recoup for the Mumbai attacks – using a five-year visa that Rana had obtained. had helped them achieve it.
Headley had also revealed the role of LeT in the Mumbai attacks and said that he had opened an immigration company with the help of Rana to hide his identity. He had testified that Rana provided him with all the logistical and financial support he needed.
To prepare for the attack, Rana visited Mumbai with his wife and stayed at the Taj Mahal hotel, which later became the target of the attacks.
extradition
Apart from being legal, Rana’s extradition has been a long diplomatic battle for India. In 2019, the government first contacted the US with a request to extradite him. For the next six years, India repeatedly followed up with US authorities while Rana sought legal options.
The breakthrough came last August when a lower court ordered his extradition and was upheld by the Supreme Court earlier this month. It has now turned down a review request, clearing all legal hurdles to his extradition.
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Since 2019, India has maintained that Rana was the mastermind behind the 26/11 attacks.
In his defence, Rana had argued that he was tried in a local district court in Chicago for the Mumbai attacks, and he could not be tried for the same crime in another country as per the extradition treaty between India and the US. May go.
However, the US Solicitor General told the court that all the charges against Rana, on which India seeks his extradition, were not covered by the US government’s prosecution.
what will happen next
With the legal hurdles being taken care of, it is now only a matter of time before Rana is extradited to India.
His extradition would not only be a major diplomatic victory, but an example of how people cannot run from the law after committing a crime. Their interrogation on Indian soil will help Indian authorities reveal new details and missing links.
Whether related to the 26/11 attacks or not, the cases can be reopened if investigators get any clues from Rana. If someone developed enforcement radar in the past, they could face a new investigation.
Former Maharashtra police chief PK Jain said that Rana has been a close associate of Pakistani spy agency ISI and to bring him to India, Indian agencies would actually be getting behind this conspiracy.
“Rana knows about the operations of ISI and Pakistani elements in the US and India. He is going to be a storehouse of information. I am sure Indian agencies will be able to dig out a lot of important information from him,” he said. told. Ndtv.
Aniket Nikam, a lawyer at the Bombay High Court, said that once Rana is brought back, a fresh case will be filed against him and a fresh chargesheet will be prepared. India and the US had signed an extradition treaty in 1998, under which the process of bringing him back had begun, he said.
The extradition process will begin with Rana’s deportation from the US. Indian authorities will go there and take him into custody, after which he will face trial, Mr Nikam said.
“The US Supreme Court has rejected Rana’s appeal. After that you have no other option left. He will be brought to India. This victory was achieved through diplomatic channels. They will be brought to India as soon as possible,” the advocate said.
(TagstoTranslate) Tahawur Rana (T) 26/11 attacks (T) Extradition
