26/11 mastermind brought back: All about Tahawwur Rana, his links with David Headley & confession that nailed him

Finally, after a six-year-long legal battle in US courts, India has succeeded in extraditing an accused who was allegedly part of Lashkar-e-Taiba's sinister plan to carry out a massacre in Mumbai. For many survivors and families of the 26/11 attacks, Rana’s extradition rekindles hope for closure. So far, only one foot soldier of the terrorist organisation, Ajmal Kasab, has been tried and punished by the Indian judiciary. Rana will be the first among the masterminds of the conspiracy to face Indian law. His extradition is being seen not only as a diplomatic victory for India but also as a sign of strengthening Indo-US ties in the area of security cooperation.

Who is Tahawwur Rana?

Born in 1961 in Punjab, Pakistan, Rana served as a doctor in the Pakistani Army, rising to the rank of captain. In 1997, he left the military and moved to Canada with his wife, obtaining Canadian citizenship in 2001. However, he primarily lived in Chicago, where he ran an immigration business.
In Chicago, he reconnected with his old friend David Headley, who had received terrorist training at Lashkar-e-Taiba’s camps in Pakistan. ISI officer Major Iqbal reportedly involved both men in the plot to attack Mumbai. Rana himself visited Mumbai with his wife and stayed at the Taj Mahal Hotel, which later became one of the primary attack sites.

How was Rana arrested?

Rana and Headley were arrested by the FBI on October 18, 2009, at Chicago airport as they were about to board a flight. The arrests followed a tip-off received by US intelligence agencies that the duo was plotting to blow up a newspaper office in Denmark. Surveillance later revealed their involvement in the Mumbai attacks. Investigators found that both men were working for the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba.

What did Headley do on Rana's instructions?

Headley visited Mumbai more than a dozen times, scouting locations to be targeted. He took photographs and recorded GPS coordinates of the intended sites, which were passed on to LeT.
He opened a Mumbai office of Rana's firm, First World Immigration Services, as a cover for his activities, posing as an immigration agent. He befriended Rahul Bhatt (filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's son), gym trainer Vilas Warak, and the proprietor of a bakery chain. Headley even visited Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak temple and bought kalewa (holy thread) for the terrorists to wear so they could pass off as Hindus.

How did Headley's confession implicate Rana?

Headley agreed to turn approver in the case. In February 2016, he deposed via video link from an American prison. During the five-day deposition, he described both his and Rana’s roles in the conspiracy. He also detailed the involvement of Zabiuddin Ansari, aka Abu Jundal, one of the handlers of the terrorists who was later arrested.

The case against Rana

In a US court, Headley was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Rana, however, was acquitted of charges related to the Mumbai attacks but was convicted for plotting the Denmark attack and sentenced to 14 years in prison. He was released during the COVID-19 pandemic on compassionate grounds. Headley’s testimony remains India’s strongest piece of evidence against Rana.

The struggle for Rana’s extradition. Following Headley’s revelations, India formally requested Rana’s extradition from the US under the bilateral treaty. The US agreed, but Rana challenged the extradition in court, claiming false implication. His arguments were rejected, and in January, an appellate court also dismissed his appeal. Afterward, Rana filed two "emergency" applications, both of which were denied, clearing the path for his extradition to India.

Will Rana be brought to Mumbai?

Two different agencies have registered cases against Rana — the Mumbai Police and the NIA. While he will be tried in Delhi in the NIA case, a Mumbai court is also set to conduct his trial.
It is still unclear whether Rana will be brought to Mumbai physically or will appear before the court via video link.

Here, it’s important to recall the case of underworld don Chhota Rajan. Although over 70 cases have been registered against him in Mumbai, he remains incarcerated in Delhi’s Tihar Jail for security reasons and attends court proceedings via video link. A similar arrangement could be followed in Rana’s case.

If brought to Mumbai, Rana will likely be lodged in the same high-security ward of Arthur Road Jail where Ajmal Kasab was once held.