Explained: How Tahawwur Rana is linked to 26/11 Mumbai attacks and what his extradition means for India

File photo of a painting made by students of Gurukul Art School on the extradition of 26/11 Mumbai attack accused Tahawwur Rana from USA to India, at Lalbaug in Mumbai.

Tahawwur Rana, who has been extradited from the US, is set to land in India and face trial in the Mumbai 26/11 terror attack case. His extradition marks a pivotal moment in the pursuit of justice for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Rana's alleged involvement in these attacks has been a subject of extensive investigation and legal proceedings across multiple countries.

As per sources quoted by news agency PTI, Rana would help the probe agencies expose the role of Pakistani state actors behind the dastardly attack that claimed 166 lives.

A multi-agency team is bringing Rana, a Pakistan-origin Canadian national, back to India after he exhausted all his legal options available to such subjects in the US.

The significant development comes days after Rana's last-ditch effort to stop his extradition failed as the US Supreme Court denied his application, moving him closer to being handed over to the Indian authorities to face the law in the country.

What happens after Rana lands in India

Rana was lodged at a metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles. He is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks.

Once extradited, Rana may be kept in the NIA's custody initially after due legal formalities, said sources quoted by PTI.

His extradition from the US could provide important leads into his travels in parts of northern and southern India days before the carnage in 2008, they said.

The central security officials had found that Rana had visited Hapur and Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Kochi in Kerala, Ahmedabad in Gujarat, and Mumbai in Maharashtra with his wife Samraz Rana Akhtar between November 13 and November 21, 2008, they said.

Rana had submitted business sponsor letters from 'Immigrant Law Center' and Property Tax payment notice from Cook County as his address proof.

The sources said once Rana is brought to India, the purpose of these visits would be established.

Who is Rana – a backgrounder

Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian businessman, served as a captain general duty practitioner in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps, before immigrating to Canada with his wife, where they obtained citizenship in June 2001.

After moving to Chicago, Rana moved to Chicago where he started several businesses, including an immigration agency, which was later revealed to be a cover for plotting terror activities.

Rana's longstanding friendship with Headley, an American of Pakistani origin, later became a focal point in investigations related to the terror attack in Mumbai.

Rana studied at Cadet College Hasanabdal in Pakistan’s Attock district, where he became friends with Headley​, who later became an approver in the case.

His role in 26/11 terror attacks

Rana was arrested by the FBI in Chicago a year after the attacks in October 2009 for arranging material support for terror attacks in Mumbai and Copenhagen.

It is alleged that Rana was aware of Headley's terror links and even helped in reconnaissance of targets in Mumbai and planning the attacks on the National Defence College (NDC) in New Delhi and Chabad House in Mumbai.

According to the chargesheet filed in the case, Rana provided support to Headley in carrying out the 26/11 terror attacks. Rana allegedly opened a branch of his immigration services firm in Mumbai in 2006 and named it ‘First World Immigration Services’. This was used as a cover to conduct recce at the various spots in the city which were attacked later.

In 2023, police filed a supplementary chargesheet in which it said that Rana came to India days before the terror attacks and stayed in a five-star hotel between November 11 and 21, 2008. The attacks took place on November 26, 2008.

The police chargesheet included emails from Headley to Rana where Headley sought instructions. According to the police, Rana acted as the intermediary between Headley and Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI.

During the investigation, the roles of senior functionaries of banned terror groups LeT and HUJI -- Hafiz Muhammad Saeed alias Tayyaji, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Sajjid Majid alias Wasi, Illyas Kashmiri and Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed alias Major Abdurrehman alias Pasha with active connivance and assistance from officers of the ISI, namely, Major Iqbal alias Major Ali, Major Sameer Ali alias Major Samir, all residents of Pakistan, have emerged, PTI reported quoting sources.

The attacks

On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists went on a rampage, carrying out a coordinated attack on a railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre, after they sneaked into India's financial capital Mumbai using the Arabian sea route.

Among the 166 people killed were US, British and Israeli nationals. The nearly 60-hour assault sent shockwaves across the country and even brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.

The terrorists had targeted multiple iconic locations in Mumbai, including the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels, Leopold Cafe, Chabad House and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station, each of which Headley had scouted in advance.

In November 2012, Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist among the Pakistani group, was hanged to death in Yerawada Jail in Pune.