New Delhi: In a major development, the US Supreme Court has approved the extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, to India. This was the last recourse for Rana who is wanted for his role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The attack left 166 people, including foreigners, dead. He assisted the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in executing the attacks.
Contents
He is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles in the US.
Who is Tahawwur Rana?
- Rana was born on January 9, 1961 in Chichawatni area of Pakistan’s Punjab province.
- He studied at Pakistan’s Cadet College Hasan Abdal, where he befriended David Headley, another convict in the Mumbai terror attacks.
- He served as Captain in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps as a general duty physician.
- He migrated to Canada in 1997 with his wife, also a doctor, and acquired Canadian citizenship in June 2001.
- Owned a business, First World Immigration Services, with offices in Chicago and other locations.
- Headley, a US citizen of Pakistani descent, was a close friend of Rana and a co-conspirator in the Mumbai attacks.
- Rana helped Headley set up a Mumbai office for First World Immigration Services in 2006, which was used as a front for reconnaissance of the attack sites.
Rana’s role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks
- He assisted Headley in scouting locations and providing logistical support to LeT.
- Allegedly funded Headley’s reconnaissance missions in Mumbai.
- Knew about the attack specifics, including plans for the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and the second floor.
- Accused of plotting attacks on the National Defence College and the Chabad House in Mumbai.
- He is also linked to a plan to attack Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten newspaper for publishing caricatures of Prophet Mohammad.
Legal proceedings involving Rana
- He was arrested by FBI in 2009 on charges related to terrorism, only a year after the Mumbai attacks.
- Multiple federal courts in the US, including the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, ruled in favour of his extradition to India.
- The US Supreme Court dismissed his final review petition on January 21, 2025, clearing the way for his extradition.
- He is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, awaiting extradition.
