Tahawwur Hussain Rana, accused of aiding the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, is en route to India on a special flight and is expected to arrive in Delhi this evening around 7 pm. The extradition follows the US Supreme Court’s rejection of his final plea to avoid being sent to India, sources said.
Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, had been lodged at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Los Angeles. His transfer marks a significant step forward in India’s efforts to bring those behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks to justice.
Sources said the special aircraft carrying Rana departed at approximately 7:10 pm IST on Wednesday, accompanied by a team of intelligence and investigative officials.
Upon arrival in Delhi, Rana will be formally arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and taken to Tihar Jail, where arrangements for his high-security confinement have already been made.
“Once Rana lands in Delhi, he will be officially arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and will be lodged at the Tihar jail, where all the preparations for his stay have been completed,” a source confirmed.
Rana is expected to face trial before a special NIA court in Delhi and is likely to be produced at Patiala House Court. As the case will be tried in the Capital, authorities have ruled out his transfer to Mumbai.
On 26 November 2008, 10 Pakistani terrorists entered Mumbai via the Arabian Sea and launched a coordinated assault on key landmarks, including CST railway station, the Taj and Oberoi hotels, and a Jewish centre, killing 166 people.
The only attacker caught alive, Ajmal Amir Kasab, was executed in Yerawada Jail in 2012.
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