Tahawwur Rana, 26/11 attacks mastermind, likely to arrive in India ‘shortly’; security tightened in jails: Report

Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, is expected to be brought to India “shortly”, news agency PTI reported, citing sources. According to government sources in India, a multi-agency team from India has gone to the US and all paperwork and legalities are being completed with US authorities.

PTI, citing sources, reported a “very high possibility” that Rana “could be extradited shortly.” However, it is also understood that he is not arriving in India on Wednesday, as the extradition process is still underway.

According to The Times of India report, the authorities in Delhi and Mumbai have been asked to discreetly prepare special jail arrangements in line with guidelines from the US judiciary concerning extradited individuals.

Tahawwur Rana is likely to remain in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for the first weeks of his arrival. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and senior officials from the ministry of home affairs are closely monitoring the entire extradition process, the report added.

The major development comes just days after Rana’s final attempt to block his extradition failed, with US Supreme Court justices rejecting his plea — bringing him a step closer to being handed over to Indian authorities to face trial for the brutal 26/11 attacks.

Rana, 64, who is currently held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, filed an ‘Emergency Application for Stay Pending Litigation of Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus’ on February 27, 2025, with US Supreme Court Associate Justice Elena Kagan, who serves as the Circuit Justice for the Ninth Circuit.

A Pakistani-Canadian businessman and former military doctor, Tahawwur Rana has long been associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley – one of the masterminds of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Rana's alleged involvement, including his links with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI, has been a point of friction between India and the US for years.

Tahawwur Rana's extradition to US

In an order dated April 7, 2025, the US Supreme Court said, “The application for stay addressed to The Chief Justice and referred to the Court is denied.” The emergency application was filed on March 20 by Rana with Chief Justice John Roberts.

This follows a similar rejection in March by Justice Elena Kagan. His latest request was circulated among the justices for consideration in a conference held on April 4.

Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 attacks, cited serious health issues to oppose extradition. He claimed his deteriorating condition — including an abdominal aortic aneurysm, Parkinson’s disease with cognitive decline, and a mass potentially indicating bladder cancer — would endanger his life if sent to India. He further argued that he feared being targeted due to religious and cultural bias.

In February, US President Donald Trump confirmed Rana’s extradition during a joint press briefing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that Rana would be sent to India to face justice.

What did Tahawwur Rana do during the Mumbai terror attack?

Rana had arranged travel documents for David Coleman Headley — a Pakistani-American and his childhood friend — enabling him to visit India and conduct reconnaissance of targets ahead of the attacks. Headley, who operated under the alias Dawood Gilani, used Rana's immigration firm, First World International, as a front during his missions in Mumbai.

Rana, who reportedly praised the November 26, 2008 carnage and even said the attackers deserved Pakistan’s highest military honours, has never before been interrogated by Indian agencies. While a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team questioned Headley in the US in 2010, Rana was not made available at the time.

His extradition is the outcome of persistent efforts by the Indian government since 2019. A diplomatic note was submitted to the US in December 2019, followed by a formal request for Rana’s provisional arrest in June 2020. In February this year, US President Donald Trump confirmed Rana’s extradition, saying he would "face justice" in India.

Once in India, Rana will be interrogated by Indian agencies, marking the first time he will be directly questioned regarding his involvement. He will be taken not only to Mumbai, where his company’s local branch was used in the plot, but also to Agra, Hapur, Cochin, and Ahmedabad — cities he visited with his wife days before the 2008 attacks.

Officials believe Rana’s interrogation could uncover vital information about the Pakistani handlers, including those in the ISI and Pakistan Army, who orchestrated and financed the attacks. So far, only Ajmal Kasab — the lone terrorist captured alive — has been prosecuted for the 26/11 attack.

Headley, currently serving a 35-year sentence in the US following a plea bargain, was arrested in 2009 by the FBI.

(With Neerj Chauhan's inputs)