Major Breakthrough: Key Figure in 26/11 Mumbai Attacks Extradited and Arrested

NIA Arrests Tahawwur Rana After Extradition

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) announced the formal arrest of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a principal suspect in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, right after his arrival at Delhi airport following extradition from the United States.

Rana was transported to Delhi on a special flight from Los Angeles, accompanied by NIA and National Security Guard (NSG) teams, which included senior officials.

Upon his arrival, the NIA investigation team apprehended Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani descent who primarily resides in Chicago, after fulfilling all necessary legal requirements.

The agency also released a photograph showing Rana in custody after his extradition.

The NIA's successful extradition of Rana followed years of dedicated efforts, particularly after his last-minute attempts to halt the extradition from the US were unsuccessful, as stated by the anti-terror agency.

Through coordinated efforts involving India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), along with US authorities, the NIA collaborated with various Indian intelligence agencies throughout the extradition process, marking a significant advancement in India's pursuit of justice against terrorism, regardless of where suspects may have fled.

Rana had been held in judicial custody in the US due to proceedings initiated by the NIA under the India-US Extradition Treaty.

His extradition was finalized after multiple legal challenges and appeals, including an emergency application to the US Supreme Court, were dismissed, aided by the US Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs, the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, the US Marshals Service, the FBI's Legal Attaché Office in New Delhi, and the US Department of State's Office of the Legal Adviser for Law Enforcement.

The persistent efforts of the MEA and MHA led to the issuance of a surrender warrant for Rana, facilitating his eventual extradition.

Rana faces charges of conspiring with David Coleman Headley, also known as Daood Gilani, and members of designated terrorist groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI), along with other co-conspirators based in Pakistan, to execute the catastrophic terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008.

The attacks resulted in the deaths of 166 individuals and left over 238 others injured.