Washington, 14 February 2025: US President Donald Trump announced that Washington will extradite Tahawwur Hussain Rana, accused in the 2008 Mumbai attack, to India.
Speaking after bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump said, "We are handing over a very dangerous man to India, one who is accused of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack."
The Supreme Court of the United States recently rejected Rana's review petition on January 21, 2025, paving the way for his extradition.
Following the ruling, the US State Department stated, "In view of the recent Supreme Court decision, and consistent with applicable US law, the Department of State is currently evaluating next steps in this case."
Modi welcomed the decision and thanked Trump for confirming the extradition. "A perpetrator of the Mumbai terror attack is being extradited for his interrogation and trial in India. I thank President Trump for expediting the process," Modi said.
Rana, a Pakistani-origin businessman, was convicted in the US for providing material support to the Lashkar-e-Taiba and conspiring to carry out attacks in Denmark.
Indian investigators have long sought his extradition, citing his direct links to the 26/11 attack, which claimed 166 lives, including 20 personnel and 26 foreigners. Over 300 others were injured.
Authorities allege Rana had close ties to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and worked with David Coleman Headley, who scouted locations for the attacks. Headley, who pleaded guilty and cooperated with US authorities, had emailed Rana about Major Iqbal, a suspected ISI operative named in the case.
A 400-page Mumbai police chargesheet states Rana arrived in India on November 11, 2008, and remained until November 21, staying at the Renaissance Hotel in Powai for two days. The Mumbai crime branch uncovered email exchanges between him and Headley, linking him to the attack’s planning.