Tahawwur Rana, Mumbai terror attack accused, sent to 18-day NIA custody | What we know so far

Tahawwur Rana, 26/11 Mumbai attacks accused, was sent to 18-day NIA custody after being produced at Delhi court on Thursday. Rana will remain in NIA custody during which the agency will question him in detail to unravel the complete conspiracy behind the deadly 2008 attacks. The anti-terror agency had produced Rana before the NIA Special Court at Patiala House after formally placing him under arrest on his arrival at IGI Airport, New Delhi, following his successful extradition from the US.

Check top 10 developments so far:

1. Tahawwur Rana was brought to the court in a cavalcade of multiple vehicles, including jail van, armoured Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) vehicle and an ambulance. Ahead of the production of Rana before the court, the Delhi Police removed mediapersons and members of the public from the court premises, citing security concerns.
2. Tahawwur Rana, a close associate of 26/11 main conspirator David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, a US citizen, was brought to India earlier on Thursday after the US Supreme Court on April 4 dismissed his review plea against his extradition to India.
3. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday evening formally arrested Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the key conspirator in the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, immediately after his arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), New Delhi, following his successful extradition from the United States, the agency said.
4. NIA had secured Rana’s extradition following years of sustained and concerted efforts and after the terror mastermind’s last-ditch efforts to get a stay on his extradition from the US failed.
5. Rana was escorted to New Delhi by teams of National Security Guard (NSG) and NIA, comprising senior officials, on a special plane from Los Angeles, United States. The NIA investigation team at the airport arrested Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin living primarily in Chicago (US), soon after he emerged from the airplane after completing all the necessary legal formalities.
6. With the coordinated efforts of India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs, along with the relevant authorities in the United States, NIA has worked closely with other Indian intelligence agencies through the entire extradition process, which marked a major step in India’s efforts to bring individuals involved in terrorism to justice, irrespective of which part of the world they had fled to.
7. Rana was being held in judicial custody in the US pursuant to proceedings initiated by the NIA under the India-US Extradition Treaty.
8. The extradition finally came through after Rana’s various litigations and appeals, including an emergency application before the US Supreme Court, were rejected with the active assistance of US Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, US Marshals Service, FBI’s Legal Attache Office in New Delhi, and US Department of State’s Office of the Legal Adviser for Law Enforcement.
9. The diligent and persistent efforts of India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs culminated in securing the surrender warrant for the fugitive, leading to his eventual extradition.
10. Meanwhile, the government has appointed Advocate Narendra Mann as the Special Public Prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs announced his appointment through a gazette notification, stating that he will serve for three years or until the trial concludes, whichever comes first.