Rana is likely to remain in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for the initial few weeks, two high-security jails—one in Delhi and another in Mumbai—have been instructed to discreetly prepare special facilities.
26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana will be brought to India on Wednesday evening to face the law for his crimes as part of the extradition process from the US. An NIA team led by a Deputy Inspector General (DIG)-rank officer will bring Rana with the operation being supervised by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and senior Ministry of Home Affairs officials.
Special measures are being taken to build special holding facilities for the terrorists in line with recommendations from the US judiciary regarding the handling of extradited individuals, Times of India reported.
Where will Tahawwur Rana be kept in India?
Rana is likely to remain in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for the initial few weeks, two high-security jails—one in Delhi and another in Mumbai—have been instructed to discreetly prepare special facilities, it added.
Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian national and active member of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), played a pivotal role in the lead-up to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. He assisted fellow operative David Coleman Headley—also known as Dawood Gilani and a Pakistani-American—in securing travel documents to facilitate his visits to India for reconnaissance missions. These efforts were part of a plot orchestrated by LeT with support from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
Investigators have stated that Rana visited Mumbai via Dubai shortly before the attacks, checking into Hotel Renaissance in Powai from 11 to 21 November 2008.
Rana reportedly expressed satisfaction over the carnage that unfolded on 26 November 2008, suggesting that those responsible should be awarded Pakistan’s highest military honours posthumously. Until now, only Ajmal Kasab—the lone surviving attacker from the 26/11 siege—has been tried and convicted in India.
US on Tahawwur Rana’s extradition
US President Donald Trump confirmed Rana’s extradition in February, stating he was “pleased to announce that Rana is going back to India to face justice.” This development marks the culmination of years of diplomatic efforts by the Indian government, which formally requested Rana’s extradition in December 2019. On 10 June 2020, India filed a complaint seeking his provisional arrest to initiate the extradition process.
Rana was a close associate of ISI’s Major Iqbal, believed to be one of the key architects of the Mumbai attacks. Documents submitted in US courts by both Indian and American authorities highlight the duo’s collaboration in laying the groundwork for the assault. Headley, who testified in the US, revealed that in 2006, he and two LeT operatives discussed opening an immigration office in Mumbai as a front for his surveillance work. He later informed Rana—his close friend since their schooldays in Pakistan—of his mission.
From 2005 to 2009, both men were involved in providing material support to LeT. In 2009, the FBI arrested them while they were planning an attack on a Danish newspaper. Evidence presented in court shows that Rana allowed funds in his possession to be used for Headley’s operations in Denmark, even posing as Headley in email communications with the targeted newspaper.
To assist with the Mumbai operation, Rana authorised Headley to open a branch of his business, First World Immigration Services, in Mumbai as a cover for his surveillance activities. Headley made five trips to India between 2007 and 2008 using a visa arranged with Rana’s help. According to a US Justice Department document, Rana had instructed a First World employee to prepare false documents for Headley’s cover and advised him on how to secure an Indian visa. Mumbai Police later uncovered email correspondence between the two, referencing Major Iqbal and outlining their plans.
