Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, has been extradited from the United States and arrived in India on Thursday. He is now in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for 18 days, during which he is being interrogated about the larger conspiracy behind the 2008 attacks.
The 64-year-old is being held in a high-security cell at the NIA headquarters located in the CGO Complex, New Delhi. According to a report by Hindustan Times, Rana is being treated like any other inmate, with no special privileges.
Tahawwur Hussain Rana’s demands in NIA custody
Tahawwur Hussain Rana made three demands to NIA officials. “He requested a copy of the Quran, which we provided. He is seen offering Namaz five times in his cell,” HT quoted an officer as saying, who also described him as a “religious man”.
He also asked the officials for a pen and paper, which he had been provided. However, due to security concerns, he is being closely monitored to ensure he doesn’t misuse the pen or harm himself.
Rana is permitted to meet a lawyer appointed by the Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA) every alternate day, as per the court order. He requested the Delhi Court that “there should not be any counsel who may appear to earn name and fame through him”.
According to a report by PTI, Rana is being questioned based on several leads, including dozens of phone calls with his childhood friend David Coleman Headley, also known as Daood Gilani. Headley, an American national, is serving time in a US prison for his involvement in the 2008 attack plot.
Rana, a Canadian citizen who is a Pakistani native, is also under investigation for his alleged links to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which carried out a series of 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks in Mumbai.
‘Indians deserved it’: Rana allegedly told Headley after 2008 Mumbai attacks
According to a press release by the US Department of Justice, the terrorists entered Mumbai by sea and dispersed into multiple locations. They opened fire and detonated explosives at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, a Jewish community centre, and two restaurants.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 166 people, including six Americans. All terrorists, except one, were killed during the operation.
The press release further notes that Rana allegedly agreed to set up a branch of his immigration business in Mumbai and appointed Headley as its manager. He also helped Headley apply for Indian visas on two occasions and, through an unsuspecting business partner, assisted in acquiring the necessary documents to establish the business branch.
After the 26/11 terror attack, Rana allegedly told Headley that “Indians deserved it” and suggested that the nine LeT terrorists, who were killed, should be given “Nishan-e-Haider – Pakistan’s highest award for gallantry in battle.
Tahawwur Rana extradition case: Timeline of events
Rana was arrested by the FBI in October 2009. In 2013, he was sentenced to 14 years in US federal prison for conspiring to support LeT and for his role in a failed plot to attack a Danish newspaper. He pled guilty to 12 federal terrorism charges, including aiding in the murder of six Americans in Mumbai.
In June 2020, the US government acted on Rana’s extradition request from India, which he contested for almost five years. Three years later, a US magistrate judge granted his extradition to India.
On April 7, the US Supreme Court denied Rana’s plea to block his extradition. He was subsequently handed over to Indian authorities and brought to India to face charges.