Seventeen years after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks shook the country, India has finally secured the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, an accused conspirator and close aide of David Headley, in a landmark success in its long and determined pursuit of justice. A report by Aayush Goel
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a name resonating across India today, represents a significant milestone in the nation’s pursuit of justice against cross-border terrorism. It has taken the enforcement agencies almost 17 years to get him extradited to the country to face trial for his alleged role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks—one of the deadliest assaults in the country’s history.
Rana, 64, is a Pakistan-born Canadian national and close associate of one of the main conspirators of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, a US citizen. Rana was extradited from the US and arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on April 10 upon arrival in Delhi. Rana has been charged with numerous offences, including conspiracy, murder, commission of a terrorist act (UAPA), and forgery, in connection with his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks by Laskhar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), a designated terrorist outfit.
The NIA informed a Delhi court that Rana may have devised similar terror plans targeting other Indian cities. Special Judge Chander Jit Singh granted 18-day custody of Rana to the NIA for detailed interrogation. “His prolonged custody has been deemed necessary to facilitate an extensive interrogation aimed at uncovering more profound layers of the conspiracy,” NIA officials told the court. The agency plans to take him to various locations to reconstruct events and gather crucial evidence in the Mumbai terror attack case. It is worth noting that Headley made another trip to India in March 2009, post-2008 attacks, to conduct additional surveillance, including the National Defence College in Delhi and of Chabad Houses in several cities. A specialized 12-member NIA team led by Director General Sadanand Date will interrogate his alleged involvement with LeT and ISI in planning the attacks.
Rana’s medical examination has been mandated every 24 hours, and he is permitted to consult with his lawyer every alternate day, under NIA supervision. The court has also restricted him to use only a soft-tip pen.
“Together with India, we’ve long sought justice for the 166 people, including 6 Americans, who lost their lives in these attacks. I’m glad that day has come,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a post on X. The US State Department said the 26/11 terror attacks shocked the entire world, and Washington DC supported India’s efforts to ensure those responsible were brought to justice.
“Tahawwur Rana’s extradition is a big success of Prime Minister Modi’s diplomacy. The Modi government’s effort is to bring to justice those who attacked India’s honour, land, and people. He will face trial and punishment. It is a big success of the Modi government,” said Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a public event. The arrival of Rana, who was arrested in Chicago in 2009, the year after the terror attacks, marks the culmination of a prolonged legal process.
The Mumbai Attacks: On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists sneaked into India’s financial capital Mumbai, using the Arabian Sea route. They went on a rampage and carried out a coordinated attack on a railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish center. They launched a 60-hour assault with firearms, grenades and improvised explosive devices and targeted multiple iconic locations in Mumbai, including the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels, Leopold Cafe, Chabad House and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station, each of which Headley had scouted in advance. The attack not just shook India but the entire world, as amongst 166 people killed were US, British and Israeli nationals.
Rana was born in Chichawatni city in Sahiwal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province. After pursuing his studies in medicine from a college in Pakistan, he worked in the Pakistan Army’s medical corps. Rana migrated to Canada after leaving the Pakistani Army in the late 1990s and later got Canadian citizenship. He started his own business of immigration services provider through his ‘First World Immigration Services’ venture. Rana then moved to the US and set up an office in Chicago. According to the NIA’s chargesheet, in or about June 2006, before he made his first visit to India, the key accused Headley had travelled to Chicago and “discussed the whole conspiracy with Rana and took the assistance of Rana for using his immigration firm as a cover for executing the assignment entrusted by LeT”. Rana helped Headley to get a multi-entry Indian visa and set up the Mumbai branch of his company, which, however, did not process a single immigration case throughout its operation, the NIA said. While in India, Headley conducted reconnaissance in various Indian cities, including Mumbai. Rana himself visited India along with his wife from November 13 to 21, 2008, just before the attack. The NIA claimed Rana was also involved in planning future attacks in India, and met LeT operative Abdur Rehman in Dubai ahead of the Mumbai attacks. He also maintained contact with Major Iqbal, the alleged ISI handler of the terrorists and a key conspirator. The cover provided by Rana helped Headley revisit India even after the attacks.
Mission Operation Rana: Rana’s extradition is being celebrated as one of the biggest victories of the country’s war against terror. Rana’s extradition journey started when he was arrested by the FBI in October 2009, following the arrest of his associate, David Coleman Headley. In 2021, a US court convicted Rana for supporting the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and planning to attack a Danish newspaper. Although acquitted of direct involvement in the Mumbai attacks, India sought his extradition in 2020.
Rana’s legal team advocated against the extradition on the grounds of double jeopardy, declaring that he has already been tried for related offences. It was after the US Supreme Court rejected Rana’s final appeal in January 2025, the path for his extradition was cleared. What gathered India’s appreciation worldwide was the actual extradition process. One of the biggest challenges before NIA was keeping the whole transit operation confidential because of possible threats from Pakistan-based terror groups. A special team comprising of NSG commandos and senior NIA officials left Los Angeles on a specially designed aircraft. To ensure seamless coordination between Indian and US agencies, the flight was continuously monitored in real time by commandos, air traffic control units, and intelligence personnel. The NIA and Intelligence Bureau officials will interrogate Tahawwur Rana about the 26/11 Terror Attack. The interrogation is expected to provide important leads into his travels in parts of northern and southern India days before the carnage in 2008, they said. The central security officials had found that Rana had visited Hapur and Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Kochi in Kerala, Ahmedabad in Gujarat, and Mumbai in Maharashtra with his wife Samraz Rana Akhtar, between November 13 and November 21, 2008.
Rana had submitted business sponsor letters from ‘Immigrant Law Center’ and a Property Tax payment notice from Cook County as his address proof. The agencies will look forward to establishing the purpose of these visits. In 2011, the NIA had charge-sheeted Rana, his associate, and the attack scout David Headley and seven others in absentia. A supplementary chargesheet is now expected to be filed, with the charges likely updated under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS). Several of these charges carry the death penalty. Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist among the Pakistani group, was hanged to death in Yerawada Jail in Pune, but a lot remains to be answered about the attacks. Rana is believed to hold the key to several unresolved aspects of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
