Editor-DN
Mumbai attacks convict Tahur Hussain Rana has exhausted his legal options to avoid extradition to India. This removes obstacles to bringing back one of the world’s deadliest terrorist attacks.
The 2008 terror attacks rocked Mumbai, the country’s financial capital. At least 166 people were killed in the attacks by the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Ajmal Kasab, the only attacker to be captured alive, was the only convict to be executed in the case. Two more masterminds are yet to be brought to justice, Rana being one of them.
The other is Syed Zabihuddin Ansari alias Abu Jandal, who worked for the Lashkar-e-Terrorist group. After Kasab was identified, he was arrested in 2012 and is currently in jail in Mumbai.
Who is Tahur Rana?
Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, has previously served as a doctor in the Pakistan Army. He had prior knowledge of the attacks, and a federal jury convicted him in 2011 of providing material support to Lashkar.
He was also acquainted with Pakistani-American David Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks. Rana and Hadley were arrested by the FBI in 2009 for planning an attack on a Danish newspaper. During his interrogation in the US, Headley revealed to Indian officials that he had traveled to India five times between 2007 and 2008 and carried out reiki for the Mumbai attacks – using a five-year visa that Rana had obtained. He was helped.
Headley also revealed Lashkar’s role in the Mumbai attacks and said that he had opened an immigration company to hide his identity with Rana’s help. He had testified that Rana provided him with all the logistical and financial support he needed.
To prepare for the attack, Rana went to Mumbai with his wife and stayed at the Taj Mahal Hotel, which later became the target of the attacks.
Extradition
Apart from being legal, Rana’s extradition has been a long diplomatic battle for India. In 2019, the government first requested his extradition from the US. For the next six years, India pursued it repeatedly with US authorities while Rana explored legal options.
The breakthrough came last August when a lower court ordered his extradition and the Supreme Court upheld it earlier this month. It has now rejected the request for review, removing all legal obstacles to his extradition.
Read: Terrorists to economic offenders: 5 fugitives seeking extradition to India
Since 2019, India has maintained that Rana was the mastermind of the 26/11 attacks.
In his defence, Rana had argued that he had been tried in a local district court in Chicago for the Mumbai attacks, and could not be tried for the same crime in another country as per the extradition treaty between India and the US. can
However, the US Solicitor General told the court that all the charges against Rana, for which India has sought his extradition, are not included in the US government’s prosecution.
What’s next?
Legal hurdles being taken care of, it is now a matter of time to hand over Rana to India.
His extradition would not only be a major diplomatic victory but also an example of how people cannot escape the law after committing a crime. Interrogating him on Indian soil will help Indian officials uncover new details and missing links.
Whether related to the 26/11 attacks or not, the cases could be reopened if investigators find any clues from Rana. If someone has evaded the enforcement radar in the past, they may face a new investigation.
Former Maharashtra police chief PK Jain said Rana had been a close associate of Pakistan’s spy agency ISI and bringing him to India would give Indian agencies access to what actually happened behind the conspiracy.
He said that Rana is aware of the activities of ISI and Pakistani elements in America and India. He is going to be a repository of information. I am sure Indian agencies will be able to get a lot of important information from it. NDTV.
Bombay High Court lawyer Aniket Nikam said that once Rana is brought back, a fresh case will be registered against him and a fresh charge sheet will be prepared. He said India and the US had signed an extradition treaty in 1998, under which the process of bringing him back had begun.
The extradition process will begin with Rana’s deportation from the US. Mr Nikam said Indian officers would go there and take him into custody, after which he would face trial.
The US Supreme Court has rejected Rana’s appeal. After that you are left with no other option. It will be brought to India. This victory was achieved through diplomatic means. He will be brought to India as soon as possible,” said the lawyer.
