Tahawwur Rana's Last Plea Against Extradition To India Rejected By US Court

The US Supreme Court has denied 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana's last application seeking a stay on his extradition to India, moving him closer to being handed over to Indian authorities to face justice.

The three-day attacks on hotels, a train station and a Jewish center in Mumbai in which 166 people were killed began on November 26, 2008. India says Pakistan-based Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba orchestrated the attacks. Pakistan's government denies being involved.

Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin who was based in Chicago, was convicted in 2011 and later sentenced to 13 years in prison. He is currently lodged in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.

The 64-year-old is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks. Headley conducted a recce of Mumbai before the attacks by posing as an employee of Rana's immigration consultancy.

He was convicted in the US of one count of conspiracy to provide material support to the terrorist plot in Denmark and one count of providing material support to Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashker-e-Taiba which was responsible for the attacks in Mumbai.

Rana had submitted an "Emergency Application For Stay Pending Litigation of Petition For Writ of Habeas Corpus" on February 27, with Elena Kagan, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the US and Circuit Justice for the Ninth Circuit.

Earlier last month, the judge had denied the application.

Rana had then renewed his "Emergency Application for Stay Pending Litigation of Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus previously addressed to Justice Kagan," and requested that the renewed application be directed to Chief Justice Roberts.

Today, a notice on the Supreme Court website said, "Application denied by the Court." 

During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the White House in February this year, President Donald Trump announced that his administration has approved the extradition of "very evil" Rana, wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, "to face justice in India".

"I am pleased to announce that my administration has approved the extradition of one of the plotters and one of the very evil people of the world, having to do with the horrific 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack to face justice in India. So he is going to be going back to India to face justice," Trump had said.