Terrorist Attack Suspect from Mumbai, Tahawwar Hussain Rana, Extradited from the US to India

Terrorist Attack Suspect from Mumbai, Tahawwar Hussain Rana, Extradited from the US to India

New Delhi, April 9 (Reuters): Indian authorities are preparing for the extradition of Tahawwar Hussain Rana, one of the key suspects in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, from the United States to India. Rana, a Canadian citizen born in Pakistan, will be "soon" sent to India, according to Indian media reports.

India has accused Rana of being a member of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group, which is designated as a "terrorist organization" by the United Nations. India claims he assisted in planning the Mumbai attacks. However, the Pakistani government has consistently denied these allegations.

In February, US President Donald Trump announced that Rana would be extradited from the US to India, calling him "one of the worst people in the world." This month, the US Supreme Court rejected his appeal to remain in the country, where he is serving a sentence for involvement in another LeT-related attack.

New Delhi holds Lashkar-e-Taiba and Pakistan’s intelligence officials responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks. During the attack, 10 terrorists targeted several key locations in Mumbai, resulting in 166 deaths and many injuries.

India has accused Rana and his associate, David Coleman Headley, of playing a key role in the preparations for the Mumbai attacks. In 2013, Headley was convicted in the US and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Rana, a former doctor in the Pakistani army, was arrested in the US in 2009.

Although Rana was not convicted for the Mumbai attacks in 2013, he was sentenced to 14 years for providing support to Lashkar-e-Taiba’s plot to kill people in Denmark.

Indian authorities have welcomed Rana’s extradition. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "Finally, after a long wait, justice will be served."

A survivor of the Mumbai attacks, Devika Ratawan, said, "I can never forget this attack, and Rana's extradition will be a big win for India."

However, anti-terrorism experts argue that Rana’s role in the attacks was relatively small, and that Headley, whose extradition India has been trying for much longer, played a much larger role.