US Extradites Man to India in Connection to 2008 Mumbai Attacks

The United States has extradited Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian citizen, to India to face charges related to his alleged role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced, Bloomberg reports.

Rana is accused of being a key mastermind behind the devastating three-day siege in Mumbai, which saw gunmen and grenade attacks on luxury hotels, a popular tourist destination, and a Jewish center. The attacks resulted in the deaths of over 160 people, including six Americans, and hundreds of injuries. Nine militants were also killed during the siege.

“The United States has long supported India’s efforts to ensure those responsible for these attacks are brought to justice,” Rubio said in a statement.

Rana had been fighting his extradition to India for years. He is accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley and others to carry out the Mumbai attacks and of being affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami, both designated as terrorist groups by India.

David Coleman Headley, a US citizen, was convicted in a Chicago court in 2013 for his involvement in the Mumbai attacks. He pleaded guilty and confirmed his role in identifying targets and a water-landing site for the attackers. He was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison in 2013.

India has long blamed Pakistan for the attacks, with US intelligence agencies confirming that the attackers received support from Pakistan’s intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Pakistan has denied direct involvement but agreed to assist with the investigation.

Of the ten men who carried out the attacks in Mumbai, only one, Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, was captured alive, tried, and convicted. He was found guilty in 2010 and executed in 2011.

Rana was separately convicted by a Chicago federal court in 2013 on two counts of terrorism, unrelated to the Mumbai attacks. This week, the US Supreme Court rejected Rana’s final attempt to block his extradition, paving the way for his transfer to India to stand trial. He was arrested by Indian authorities shortly after his arrival in the country on April 9.