26/11 terror attacks key accused Rana set to return to India today

The years-long extradition process of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, entered its last lap on Wednesday as a team of Indian investigators took custody of the 64-year-old to bring him to India, and top officials in Delhi held meetings, bolstered security measures, and prepared last-minute protocol to handle the high-profile prisoner.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) team led by an inspector general rank officer will bring Rana in a special plane that is scheduled to land in India on Thursday, said highly placed officials.

The Pakistan-born Canadian physician lost his plea in the US Supreme Court against his extradition earlier this week. An update on the US Federal Bureau of Prisons on Wednesday confirmed he is no longer in the metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles.

“A team comprising an IG and DIG of NIA and a few other officers travelled to the US on Sunday to take Rana’s custody, based on the surrender warrant signed by the US secretary of state Marco Rubio in the second week of February. The team bringing him is expected to reach India on Thursday in a special flight,” said an official, requesting anonymity.

Union home minister Amit Shah hailed the development at the Rising Bharat Summit of News18 on Wednesday saying that Rana’s extradition to India is a big success of PM Modi’s government. “It showcased the Modi government’s strong global diplomacy and commitment to justice,” he added.

Rana will be kept and moved around under a heavy security cover to avoid any harm to him by elements hired by Pakistani spy agency ISI, said the highly placed officials cited above. Union home minister Amit Shah, foreign minister S Jaishankar and national security adviser Ajit Doval met in Delhi to discuss the issue.

“India will not take a risk of Pakistan backed sleeper cells or even Khalistani terrorists, who are on the payroll of ISI, to attack Rana, for the reason he possesses information they don’t want New Delhi to know,” said a second official with knowledge of discussions who asked not to be named.

As soon as the NIA team lands in India with Rana, a unit of commandos from the central forces will be deployed to guard him. NIA may not physically produce Rana before the court and might either produce him at the residence of the judge or request a hearing through videoconferencing. When on the move, the agency will only use bullet-proof vehicles.

Rana is likely to be kept in Delhi’s Tihar prison as a high–risk prisoner – category S1 – usually separated from other inmates for their and others’ safety. Jails 2 and 4 – the highest security premises – were being considered, said the officials, who added that a final decision in this regard was awaited.

Asked at the weekly media briefing, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “You are all aware that the US Supreme Court rejected his plea. As far as the extradition of Mr Rana is concerned, at this point of time I don’t have an update.”

The physician-businessman allegedly helped co-conspirator David Coleman Headley in reconnaissance of targets in Mumbai and allegedly planned attacks at National Defence College (NDC) and Chabad Houses. 166 people were killed in the Mumbai attacks, the deadliest terror attack on India by Pakistan-backed terrorists.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Rana in Chicago on October 18, 2009 for providing material support to the conspiracy to commit terrorist acts involving murder, kidnapping and maiming outside the US, including Mumbai and Copenhagen.

“As it was clear since February that his review pleas were merely a formality and his extradition was going to happen eventually, a NIA team travelled to the US to complete the formalities of extradition,” said a third official.

“After all, Rana is a high-value high-risk extraditee, deportee or arrestee after underworld don Chota Rajan (from Indonesia in 2015), Abu Salem (extradited from Portugal in 2005) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) bomber Abdul Karim Tunda (arrested at Nepal border in 2013),” said the second official cited above.

According to officials familiar with the procedure, Rana was removed by FBI from the metropolitan detention centre at Los Angeles sometime before April 8, after which surrender formalities took place.

This is the first time Indian authorities will question Rana. When a NIA team travelled to the US in June 2010 to question David Coleman Headley, Rana was not questioned.

As part of the investigation, Rana will also be taken to Mumbai, officials said, adding that it was in India’s financial capital that Rana’s immigration company, First World International, operated a branch, which was used by Headley as a cover during his reconnaissance travels.

Other than Mumbai, Rana will also be taken to Agra, Hapur, Cochin and Ahmedabad, which he visited with his wife between November 13 and 21, 2008, the officials said.

NIA officials hope to get information about the exact role of conspirators based in Pakistan, officials in the Pakistan army and ISI who oversaw and funded the terror attack.

The US Supreme Court initially rejected Rana’s plea on January 21 against extradition to India. Three weeks later, his surrender to NIA was approved by the Donald Trump administration during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Washington.

But Rana filed a review petition, first before a single judge in the US Supreme Court and then before the chief justice John G Roberts Jr, seeking an emergency stay on his extradition.

Rana argued that he was being sent into a “hornet’s nest” where the “likelihood of torture” was “even higher”. “Further, because of his Muslim religion, his Pakistani origin, his status as a former member of the Pakistani Army, the relation of the putative charges to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and his chronic health conditions he is even more likely to be tortured than otherwise would be the case,” he had argued. However, both his review pleas were rejected by the US Supreme court – the last one on Monday.

“We should not spare him by keeping him alive in prison; he should be hanged,” said Subhash Shinde, father of slain constable Rahul Shinde who died in the 2008 attacks.