US President Donald Trump announced on February 13 that his administration has approved Rana's extradition to India, referring to him as "one of the plotters and very evil people of the world"
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Tahawwur Hussain Rana became part of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks conspiracy in 2005 as a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI) and was closely engaged with Pakistan-based conspirators, officials said.
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On February 13, while briefing the media with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump announced that his administration has approved Rana's extradition to India, referring to him as "one of the plotters and very evil people of the world."
The 64-year-old Rana, a Pakistan-born Canadian national, is a close associate of Pakistani-American terrorist and one of the main conspirators David Coleman Headley. He is serving supervised detention at a metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles after completing a 14-year sentence in 2023.
According to news agency PTI, once extradited, Rana would be the third person to be sent on trial in India in the case after Ajmal Kasab and Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal. In November 2012, Kasab, the lone surviving Pakistan terrorist, was hanged to death in Pune's Yerawada Jail.
Rana had entered into a criminal conspiracy for executing the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks around the beginning of 2005 along with other co-conspirators based in Pakistan, as per the National Investigation Agency (NIA) chargesheet, reported PTI.
Rana's role as a co-conspirator of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks surfaced during the central agency's probe.
Rana was arrested by FBI in 2009
On October 27, 2009, he was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Two years later, the NIA chargesheeted him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code as well as Section 6(2) of the SAARC Convention on Suppression of Terrorism, PTI reported.
Rana had assisted Headley in obtaining a visa for India and established 'Immigrant Law Centre' in Mumbai, which acted as a front, an official said.
Between November 13 and 21, 2008, Rana had visited Hapur (Uttar Pradesh), Delhi, Agra, Kochi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai with his wife Samraz Rana Akhtar, PTI reported. His initial planning includes the attack on Chabad Houses located in different cities, PTI reported.
In 2006, Headley had gone to the US and met Rana where they discussed the future action plan, officials said.
Rana remained in contact with Major Iqbal, another co-conspirator of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Headley and Rana had taken all possible steps to conceal their contacts with the Pakistan-based co-conspirators while in the US. As Rana was an Army deserter, Headley had assured him help through Major Iqbal, officials added. Headley then applied for a multiple-entry business visa to India to establish a branch office of the Immigrant Law Centre in Mumbai. Rana also facilitated his visa extension for 10 years in July 2007.
26/11 Mumbai terror attacks named 'Northern Project' by terrorists
The Mumbai attack co-conspirators had directed Headley to seek assistance from Rana and his contacts for travel and conceal the real purpose of the visit.
Headley fitted in the plan given his Caucasian appearance and American upbringing, officials said.
During his first visit to India, Headley spoke to Rana over the telephone more than 32 times. During his second visit, the duo spoke 23 times, 40 times during the third visit, 37 times during the fifth visit, 33 times during the sixth visit and 66 times during the eighth visit, officials said.
Headley met LeT member Sajid Majid, Abu Qahafa, Zaki Ur Lakhvi, Abu Anes in Muzaffarabad and Major Iqbal in Lahore in or around June 2008 on the directions of the co-conspirators.
They instructed Headley to conduct reconnaissance of various locations in Mumbai using GPS (global positioning service) devices.
Major Iqbal provided approximately USD 1,500 to Headley to operate the 'immigration' firm office in Mumbai. He also approved the idea of closing the Mumbai office in future and opening a new business in Delhi to be used as cover for future activities by Headley.
In July 2008, Headley left Lahore for Dubai and to Mumbai by flight on his eighth visit to India.
During his stay, he requested the landlord to extend the rent agreement for the office for 15 more days, as the original agreement would have expired in November 2008.
The request was timed to facilitate Rana's visit to India in November 2008, which was planned in advance in consultation with LeT member Sajid Majid and Major Iqbal, who had communicated to Headley through the Pakistani-Canadian national to extend the rent agreement.
Earlier, Major Iqbal had tried to contact Headley on the mobile phone towards the end of July 2008 to direct him to conduct a reccee of some important places in India, officials said.
This was a deviation from the original plan, where it was decided that no calls would be made by the co-conspirators based in Pakistan to Headley. After he failed to contact Headley, Major Iqbal contacted Rana over the telephone.
Iqbal also communicated with Rana through an email while Headley was in India, the officials said.
In October 2008, before the Mumbai attack, co-conspirator Sajid Majid and Major Iqbal together visited Headley's house in Lahore and discussed the future attack in Denmark.
Headley wanted to name it the Mickey Mouse Project, however, finally Sajid prevailed and named it as Northern Project.
The investigation of the criminal conspiracy showed that Headley and Rana did not pursue a single case for the immigration business through the Mumbai office during the entire period.
On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists went on a rampage, carrying out coordinated attacks on a railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre, which killed 166 people, including US, British and Israeli nationals.
(With PTI inputs)
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