US extradites Mumbai attacks accused to Delhi

A Pakistani-born Canadian national accused of being involved in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks landed in the Indian capital of New Delhi on Thursday after being extradited from the US, according to Indian authorities. 

Rana’s extradition was a yearslong effort, India says

Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a 64-year-old physician who ran an immigration consultancy in Chicago in the United States, was extradited to India after a decision by the US Supreme Court. Rana had earlier attempted to fight his extradition.  

The extradition “took years of sustained and concerted efforts to bring the key conspirator behind the 2008 mayhem to justice,” India’s National Investigation Agency said. 

US President Donald Trump announced Rana’s extradition in February, saying Rana is going to “face justice in India.” Trump made the announcement during a press conferencewith Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House. 

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah hailed Rana’s extradition as a “great success” due to Modi’s diplomacy. 

“It is the responsibility of the Indian government to bring back all those who have abused the land and the people of India,” Shah said in a post on social media. 

What are Rana’s suspected ties to the Mumbai attacks?

The Mumbai attacks in November 2008 occurred over 4 days and left over 160 people dead along with hundreds more injured.

The terror attacks were planned and carried out by members of the Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba group. Ten Lashkar-e-Taiba members took part in the attacks, with nine of them being killed by Indian security forces. 

Rana is accused of going on a scouting mission to India ahead of the attacks to scout possible targets. Rana’s friend David Coleman Headley, who is currently serving time in prison due to the attacks, is believed to have used Rana’s immigration company as a cover for his scouting trips. 

India claims that Rana is one of the key masterminds of the Mumbai attacks. Rana, meanwhile, has rejected the charges against him.   

India has alleged that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Agency aided Lashkar-e-Taiba in carrying out the attacks. The Pakistani government strongly refutes this allegation.  

A US prison handed Rana a 14-year prison sentence in 2013for being involved in a plot to attack the bureau of the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in Denmark after the outlet published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.