Sat Mar 08 19:49:00 UTC 2025: ## 26/11 Co-conspirator Tahawwur Rana Awaits Extradition to India

**New Delhi, March 9, 2025** – Tahawwur Hussain Rana, convicted in the U.S. for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, is awaiting final appeal before extradition to India. U.S. investigations revealed Rana’s collaboration with David Coleman Headley, dating back to 2005, when they planned the attacks. Headley, trained by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), conducted reconnaissance in Mumbai, while Rana, a Canadian businessman, provided logistical support, including false travel documents.

The two, former schoolmates, maintained contact despite living in different countries. Rana’s past included service in the Pakistani Army before moving to Canada and later the U.S. American prosecutors presented wiretaps and phone records demonstrating their close collaboration. They allege Rana used his immigration business as a cover for LeT’s surveillance activities and aided Headley’s entry into India. While Rana claims he was merely a pawn, investigators suspect he was a key figure, potentially working for the ISI.

Rana’s involvement extended to facilitating Headley’s multiple-entry Indian visa, arranging his accommodation, and liaising with a Pakistani operative known as “Major Iqbal.” Days before the attacks, Rana even traveled to Mumbai. Following the attacks, Rana was reportedly involved in planning a subsequent attack on the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in Denmark. This plan, involving beheading journalists, was revealed in Headley’s plea bargain.

The U.S. acquitted Rana of charges related to the 26/11 attacks but convicted him for his involvement in the Denmark plot, sentencing him to 14 years before early release in 2020. India secured Rana’s conviction *in absentia* in 2011 and seeks his extradition to face justice for his role in the Mumbai attacks. The case highlights the intricate network of individuals and organizations involved in the 26/11 attacks and the ongoing international efforts to bring perpetrators to justice. Rana’s appeal is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court.

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