The US Supreme Court has approved the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, a convicted terrorist wanted in India for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, is sought by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his alleged involvement in the planning and execution of the attacks that claimed over 160 lives.
“This is a significant victory for India,” remarked Ujjwal Nikam, the public prosecutor in the Mumbai attacks case.
Nikam highlighted that Rana’s extradition could shed light on the criminal conspiracy behind the attacks and reveal crucial details about Pakistan’s involvement.
Born in Pakistan in 1961, Rana served as a military doctor in the Pakistani army before emigrating to Canada in 1997. After obtaining Canadian citizenship in 2001, he relocated to Chicago to expand his immigration consultancy business.
Rana’s arrest in the US came less than a year after the 2008 Mumbai attacks. In 2013, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison for conspiring to support a terrorist plot in Denmark and for aiding Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based terror group responsible for the Mumbai strikes.
The Danish plot included plans to assassinate employees of Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, a newspaper that had published controversial cartoons of Prophet Mohammad, and to display their severed heads in the streets of Copenhagen.
While serving his sentence in the US, Rana fought extradition proceedings initiated by India. His legal challenges against extradition were rejected at both lower and federal court levels.
On January 21, the US Supreme Court denied his final petition, paving the way for his transfer to India. This marks the end of his appeals and a critical step forward in India’s pursuit of justice in the Mumbai terror case.
Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, is sought by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his alleged involvement in the planning and execution of the attacks that claimed over 160 lives.
“This is a significant victory for India,” remarked Ujjwal Nikam, the public prosecutor in the Mumbai attacks case.
Nikam highlighted that Rana’s extradition could shed light on the criminal conspiracy behind the attacks and reveal crucial details about Pakistan’s involvement.
Born in Pakistan in 1961, Rana served as a military doctor in the Pakistani army before emigrating to Canada in 1997. After obtaining Canadian citizenship in 2001, he relocated to Chicago to expand his immigration consultancy business.
Rana’s arrest in the US came less than a year after the 2008 Mumbai attacks. In 2013, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison for conspiring to support a terrorist plot in Denmark and for aiding Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based terror group responsible for the Mumbai strikes.
The Danish plot included plans to assassinate employees of Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, a newspaper that had published controversial cartoons of Prophet Mohammad, and to display their severed heads in the streets of Copenhagen.
While serving his sentence in the US, Rana fought extradition proceedings initiated by India. His legal challenges against extradition were rejected at both lower and federal court levels.
On January 21, the US Supreme Court denied his final petition, paving the way for his transfer to India. This marks the end of his appeals and a critical step forward in India’s pursuit of justice in the Mumbai terror case.
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