After arriving in Delhi Friday night, Tahawwwur Rana was placed under the 18-day custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which fights terrorism.
For his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror strikes, which claimed the lives of over 160 people, Tahawwur Rana is being charged.
New Delhi: Tahawwur Rana, who was extradited from the US and arrived in Delhi on Thursday night, is accused of planning the 26/11 terror strikes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 14-year-old post on X about him has gone viral. After the US “disgraced the sovereignty of India” by proclaiming Rana “innocent,” PM Modi criticized the foreign policy of the previous Congress-led administration in his 2011 post.
Rana was found guilty in 2011 of aiding a terrorist organization that was held responsible for the attacks, but he was exonerated of any direct involvement in the planning of the 166-person massacre.
PM Modi’s article stated, “The United States’ declaration that Tahawwur Rana was innocent in the Mumbai attack has shamed India’s sovereignty and is a’major foreign policy setback’.”
Also Read | Survivor of 26/11 Attacks Remembers Horror and How He Avoided Death Social media users applauded PM Modi for successfully extraditing Rana to India so he may face the law and shared the post. “One who leads by example. One person wrote, “Captain my captain.” “You did it, sir!” cried another. Bravo and many thanks!” “Modi hai toh mumkin hai” (If there’s PM Modi, everything is possible) was echoed by many users on the post. The extradition of Rana to India was confirmed by President Donald Trump during PM Modi’s February visit to the United States.
Shortly after Rana used every legal option to prevent his extradition, a special flight carrying him touched down in Delhi last night. For eighteen days, he was placed under the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) anti-terror custody.
Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian national, was formerly employed by the Pakistan Army as a physician. He is being prosecuted for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which claimed the lives of more than 160 people. Officials claim that he was in communication with the terrorist organizations and their commanders in Pakistan and was informed of the terror strike.
David Coleman Headley, a crucial accused in the case and Rana’s childhood buddy, disclosed his role in the plot behind the 26/11 attacks. He claimed to have been in frequent communication with Rana and even obtained his consent to build a company office in Mumbai as a front for his operations. Headley disclosed during questioning that he had used a five-year visa that Rana had assisted him in obtaining to fly to India five times between 2007 and 2008 in order to do reconnaissance for the Mumbai attacks. In addition, he disclosed that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was involved in the Mumbai attacks and that, with Rana’s assistance, he had set up an immigration firm to conceal his identity.
The Taj Mahal Hotel, which was the target of the assaults, was where Rana and his wife slept on their trip to Mumbai. Rana received a 14-year prison sentence in 2013, but was freed in 2020 due to health concerns. Later that year, he was arrested again in response to India’s plea for extradition.