Sat Apr 12 21:04:00 UTC 2025: ## 26/11 Mumbai Attack Co-Conspirator Extradited to India

**New Delhi, April 13, 2025** – Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key co-conspirator in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has been extradited to India from the United States, marking a significant victory for Indian authorities. Rana, convicted in the US for his role in planning the Copenhagen attack and links to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), will now face trial in India for his involvement in the 26/11 attacks.

Rana’s extradition follows a 16-year legal battle, beginning with his arrest alongside David Coleman Headley by the FBI. The evidence against Rana includes his providing financial and logistical support to Headley, including securing Indian visas; Headley’s testimony detailing Rana’s knowledge of and participation in the conspiracy; and FBI intercepts of their conversations, including one where an imminent attack was discussed.

While Rana was acquitted in the US case, India’s case rests on these three pillars of evidence. His extradition was finally approved after the US Supreme Court rejected his appeal last week. This will be only the third in-person trial in India of terrorists involved in the 26/11 attacks, following Ajmal Kasab and Zabiuddin Ansari.

Pakistan, where Rana was born and served in the military before fleeing to Canada, attempted to distance itself from him, claiming he was a Canadian citizen. However, Headley’s testimony suggests Rana maintained contact with LeT handlers throughout the planning of the attacks. The trial may reveal further links between Pakistan and the 26/11 conspiracy.

The extradition comes despite Pakistan’s waning cooperation in the investigation. While Pakistani authorities initially shared evidence, including details about LeT training camps and the boat used in the attacks, they later ceased cooperation when India sought to link voice recordings from the LeT’s Karachi operations room to individuals like Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.

Questions also remain regarding the extent of US authorities’ knowledge of the plot, given prior intelligence alerts about potential attacks and Headley’s status as a DEA informant. The fact that Indian authorities were not alerted when Headley returned to India after the attacks, only to be arrested later while planning attacks in Denmark, raises further concerns. The upcoming trial in India is expected to shed more light on these unanswered questions and the full extent of Rana’s involvement in the 26/11 attacks.

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