Rana’s extradition critical step toward seeking justice for 26/11 terror attack victims: US

New York: The extradition of Mumbai terror attacks accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana is a “critical step toward seeking justice” for the victims of the heinous attacks, the US said on Thursday.

The United States on Wednesday extradited Rana, a Canadian citizen and a native of Pakistan, to stand trial in India on 10 criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, a Justice Department spokesperson said.

“Rana’s extradition is a critical step toward seeking justice for the six Americans and scores of other victims who were killed in the heinous attacks,” the spokesperson for the US Department of Justice said in a statement to PTI.

A multi-agency team led by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) authorities landed in Delhi on Thursday evening with Rana, 64, ending days of speculation about his extradition.

Among the 166 killed were US, British and Israeli nationals. Besides, 238 were injured in the deadly attacks carried out by a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists on a railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre after they sneaked into Mumbai through the Arabian Sea.

The significant development comes just days after Rana’s last-resort attempt to evade extradition to India failed after the US Supreme Court justices denied his application, moving him closer to being handed over to Indian authorities to face justice in the dastardly attacks.

Rana had served in the Pakistan Army medical corps before emigrating to Canada in late 1990s and starting his immigration consultancy firm. He later moved to the US and set up an office in Chicago.

Earlier, Rana was lodged in the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Los Angeles and had submitted an ‘Emergency Application For Stay Pending Litigation of Petition For Writ of Habeas Corpus' on February 27, 2025 with Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and Circuit Justice for the Ninth Circuit Elena Kagan.

The US Supreme Court denied Rana’s petition for writ of certiorari relating to his original habeas petition on January 21, 2025.