Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani descent convicted terrorist, has been extradited by the United States to face trial in India on charges of involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks perpetrated by the Pakistan-based militant organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
In a release by the U.S. Department of Justice, Rana stands accused of voicing admiration for the nine LeT terrorists killed in the raid, even recommending that they should be awarded Pakistan's highest gallantry award for bravery in battle—the Nishan-e-Haider. This gallantry medal is conventionally reserved for troops who perish in combat.
During a wiretapped phone call after the attacks, Rana allegedly informed his longtime partner, David Coleman Headley, that the attack victims "deserved it." The DOJ stated: "After the attacks were over, Rana allegedly told Headley that the Indians 'deserved it'… [and] praised the nine LeT terrorists who had been killed in the act of perpetrating the attacks, stating that '[t]hey should be given Nishan-e-Haider'—Pakistan's highest award for gallantry in battle.
The U.S. identified Rana, 64, as having 10 criminal counts in India pending against him, including conspiracy to commit terrorism, murder, and forgery. His trial will directly involve his alleged support role in the catastrophic attacks that claimed 166 lives, six of them American citizens.
From November 26 to November 29, 2008, 10 LeT militants carried out a wave of 12 coordinated attacks across Mumbai. They came to shore and divided into smaller groups and attacked various spots, including the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, where they fired on and threw grenades at commuters; two high-end restaurants, where diners were killed by gunfire; the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, where bombs and shooting caused destruction; and a Jewish community center, where terrorists killed hostages.
The massacre took 166 lives and injured hundreds. The financial losses to Mumbai were estimated to be over $1.5 billion. Just a single terrorist survived the attack, Ajmal Kasab, and the rest were eliminated by Indian security forces.
Prior to the extradition, Indian officials provided detailed documentation and evidence to U.S. authorities regarding Rana's supposed complicity. According to the DOJ's rendition, India maintains that Rana had furnished a viable cover for David Headley—his boyhood friend and U.S. citizen of birth as Daood Gilani—so Headley may conduct surveillance operations in Mumbai on behalf of LeT.
Presumably, Rana established a Mumbai branch of his immigration practice and appointed Headley as the manager of the branch, despite having no relevant experience. Rana is also charged with assisting Headley in filing visa requests on Indian officials under false pretenses, and of providing business papers via an unaware business associate in support of Headley's bid to receive formal approval for setting up the Mumbai office.
During a period of over two years, says the DOJ, Headley recurrently met in Chicago with Rana to deliver news of his surveillance efforts, such as what LeT responded to his results and the changeable plans of an attack.
Tammy Bruce, U.S. Department of State spokesperson, announced the extradition on April 9: "The United States has long been standing with India in seeking to bring to justice those who carried out these attacks. As President Trump has stated, the United States and India will continue to work together to counter the worldwide scourge of terrorism."
Rana's extradition is being regarded as a milestone in India's long pursuit of bringing to justice one of the most destructive terror attacks in its history.
Read also| 26/11 Mastermind Tahawwur Rana Extradited from US, Arrested by NIA in India
