In a significant development in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case, main conspirator Tahawwur Hussain Rana has been extradited to India by the US. The action is a significant step in India's long pursuit to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 attacks to justice.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar welcomed the development, terming it as an important milestone in the war against terrorism.
On an X post, EAM Jaishankar stated: "Welcome the counter-terrorism cooperation between our two nations. This is certainly a big step towards ensuring justice for 26/11 victims."
S. Jaishankar was actually reacting to US State Secretary Marco Rubio's comment on the successful takeover of Rana from American authorities by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Rubio posted on X: "We extradited Tahawwur Hussain Rana to India to answer for his part in the terrible 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. With India, we've worked for years to bring justice to the 166 victims, including 6 Americans, killed in these attacks. I'm glad that day finally arrived."
The US State Department, in confirming the extradition on Thursday, reaffirmed Washington's backing of India in its quest for justice.
Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said: "On April 9, the United States had extradited Tahawwur Hussain Rana to India to face justice for his role in planning the horrific 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack."
"The United States has for a long time been in support of India's pursuit to see that those who have perpetrated these attacks are brought to justice, and as President Trump has noted, the United States and India will continue to collaborate to address the world's plague of terrorism," she stated.
She added: "I would encourage you to search them out and to see for yourselves exactly how awful this was in the seriousness of this situation today."
Earlier, on his arrival in India on Thursday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) confirmed custody of Rana. A Delhi court sent him to NIA custody for 18 days, with interrogation already in progress as of Friday.
Rana, a Pakistani- Canadian citizen, is charged with assisting in the planning and execution of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 166 people, including six American citizens, were killed.
The attacks, carried out by Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, intensified counter-terrorism cooperation between India and the United States.
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