Tahawwur Rana Involved in 26/11 Mumbai Attacks to Be Extradited to India, US Ready to Hand Him Over

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Tahawwur Rana, a Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman, is expected to be handed over to India soon. Rana was involved in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks and the process to bring him to India is underway through diplomatic channels. The court had earlier rejected Rana's petition, in which he opposed being extradited to India for his involvement in the Mumbai attacks.

The court ruled that India had presented sufficient evidence against Rana, proving that the extradition order was valid. Rana's name was included in the charge sheet filed by the Mumbai police with allegations that he worked as an active member of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. The charge sheet also mentioned that Rana had assisted David Coleman Headley, the mastermind behind the Mumbai attacks in scouting locations in Mumbai for the attack.

The court stated that there is a "Non-Bis in Idem" exception in the extradition treaty between India and the United States. This exception applies when the accused has already been convicted or acquitted for the same crime. However, the court also clarified that the charges against Rana in India are separate from the cases pursued against him in U.S. courts, meaning the "Non-Bis in Idem" exception does not apply. Nearly a year after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks the FBI arrested Rana in Chicago. Rana and Headley had jointly scouted locations for the Mumbai attacks and devised a plan with Pakistani terrorists to carry out the attack. In August 2024, a U.S. court ruled that Rana could be extradited to India under the extradition treaty between the two countries.