Sayed Habib, New Delhi.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday achieved a major breakthrough by successfully extraditing Tahawwur Hussain Rana — the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks — from the United States. This significant development comes after years of persistent and coordinated efforts to bring the key conspirator of the 2008 carnage to justice.
Rana had been held in judicial custody in the US following proceedings initiated under the India–US Extradition Treaty. His extradition was finalized only after he had exhausted all legal options to prevent it.
The District Court for the Central District of California had ordered his extradition on May 16, 2023. Rana subsequently filed several appeals in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, all of which were dismissed. He then approached the U.S. Supreme Court with a petition for a writ of certiorari, two habeas corpus petitions, and an emergency application — all of which were denied.
The extradition proceedings were initiated after India successfully secured a surrender warrant for the wanted terrorist from the U.S. government. With active support from the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Sky Marshal, and in collaboration with Indian intelligence agencies and the National Security Guard (NSG), the NIA meticulously navigated the extradition process. India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs also played a critical role, working closely with relevant U.S. authorities to ensure the operation’s successful conclusion.
Rana is accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley, a.k.a. Daood Gilani, along with operatives from designated terrorist organizations — Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI) — as well as other Pakistan-based co-conspirators, to carry out the heinous terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008. The attacks left 166 people dead and over 238 injured.
Both Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami are officially designated as terrorist organizations by the Government of India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
