The National Investigation Agency (NIA) announced on Thursday that Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key figure behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, was formally taken into custody immediately upon landing at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. His extradition to India marks the culmination of years of relentless and strategic efforts aimed at bringing one of the main perpetrators of the 26/11 tragedy to justice.
Rana, 64, a Pakistani-Canadian citizen who had been living mostly in Chicago, landed in India on a special plane from Los Angeles. He was accompanied by senior officials of the National Security Guard (NSG) and the NIA.
The moment Rana stepped off the plane, the NIA's investigative team arrested him after following all legal procedures at the airport.
Before his extradition, Rana had been detained in the United States after proceedings were initiated under the India-US Extradition Treaty. Only after several legal hurdles—ranging from appeals and an emergency plea to the US Supreme Court—were all turned down was his deportation to India carried out.
The NIA acknowledged appreciation for assistance offered by some U.S. agencies, including the Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI Legal Attaché Office in New Delhi, and the State Department's Office of the Legal Adviser for Law Enforcement. The cooperation was instrumental, according to the NIA, in surmounting the legal obstacles.
The agency also emphasized the importance of India's Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs' joint efforts, which eventually resulted in the surrender warrant that facilitated Rana's transfer. The NIA closely collaborated with other domestic intelligence agencies at every step, labeling the Hubble as a major step towards bringing international terror suspects to book.
A U.S. District Court had already approved the extradition of Rana on May 16, 2023. He, however, then filed a series of motions before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which were all rejected. His last attempts at law—a petition for writ of certiorari, two habeas corpus petitions, and an emergency request to the U.S. Supreme Court—also were rejected. The NIA explained that formal extradition proceedings commenced only after India received the surrender warrant from the U.S. government.
Rana has been charged with conspiring with David Coleman Headley (also referred to as Daood Gilani), individuals associated with the Pakistan-based militant organizations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI), and other co-conspirators to carry out the heinous Mumbai attacks, which killed 166 individuals and injured over 238 people.
LeT and HUJI are both legally recognized terrorist groups under India's Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, the NIA stressed.
As a precaution, security has been stepped up at the NIA headquarters and Patiala House Court in Delhi, where Rana will stand trial for his alleged role in the 26/11 attacks.
Rana is reported to have had strong ties with Pakistan's intelligence organization, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and LeT. He stands accused under Indian law for a range of serious crimes, ranging from conspiracy to engage in war against the country, murder, forgery, and a variety of UAPA violations.
Sources indicate that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval closely monitored the extradition process, alongside senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the NIA.
Following his arrival, Rana is expected to be held in a high-security unit at Delhi’s Tihar Jail and will be presented before a court in the capital.
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