Tahawwur Rana Extradition Live Updates: 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana was extradited to India from the US on Thursday evening. And now begins the interrogation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
According to sources, Mr Rana has been kept in a 14x14 cell, equipped with CCTV cameras, a bed and toilet, on the ground floor of the NIA headquarters. Multiple layers of digital security has been placed, as well as a retinue of 24-hour guards. Only 12 NIA officials are allowed to enter this cell.
Mr Rana will be asked questions related to personal and family background, 26/11 Mumbai attacks, alleged links with Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Pakistani intelligence agency.
On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists carried a coordinated attack on a railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre, killing 166 people. The assault lasted nearly 60-hour.
Mr Rana's role in the Mumbai attack was confirmed by David Coleman Headley, his childhood friend and a key accused in the case.
In 2016, Headley appeared before a special court in Mumbai through video conference from an undisclosed location in the US. While answering questions from Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and defence lawyer Advocate Wahab Khan, Mr Headley revealed that he was in constant touch with Mr Rana and even took his permission to open a business office in Mumbai as a front for his activities.
Here are Live Updates in Tahawwur Rana extradition case:
Tahawwur Rana To Be Brought To Mumbai For Probe? Devendra Fadnavis Says...
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the National Investigation Agency and the Union Home Ministry will decide where 26/11 terror attack conspirator Tahawwur Rana will be taken for probe.
He was responding to the question whether Rana, extradited from the US, will be brought to Mumbai.
"Mumbai police will extend all cooperation to the NIA, and if we need any update on the probe, we will seek it from NIA. The NIA will decide where to take him,'' Mr Fadnavis said at a press conference.
In Tahawwur Rana Probe, An ISI Link, And Two Names: Major Iqbal, Sameer Ali
Rana's extradition from the US, after a prolonged legal battle, has once again put the spotlight on the alleged role of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in orchestrating the three-day siege that left 166 dead, including six Americans, in Mumbai. Central to this plot are two figures: Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali, accused ISI operatives who have been on the most wanted list of the anti-terror body National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Read the full story here.
'Tahawwur Rana May Reveal More Names': Ex Anti-Terror Agency Official
A former top official of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) termed the successful extradition of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana to India "extremely important" as his interrogation could help in filling the blanks left behind from earlier investigations.
NIA's former inspector general Loknath Behera told NDTV the case against Rana which is being handled by the anti-terror agency is related to a larger conspiracy and is pending before a special NIA court in Delhi. The NIA filed a chargesheet against Rana in 2011.
"As President Trump Has Said...": US On Tahawwur Rana's Extradition To India
The US on Thursday said they were "very proud" that Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the mastermind of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, has been extradited to India.
"On April 9, the United States extradited Tahawwur Hussain Rana to India to face justice for his role in planning the horrific 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks," US Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce said at a media briefing in Washington.
"Some people watching may not remember these, but I encourage you to look them up and to find out exactly how horrible this was and the importance of the situation today," she said, adding that the attack "shocked the entire world".
PM Modi's 2011 Post On Tahawwur Rana Goes Viral After His Extradition
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 14-year-old post on X on Tahawwur Rana, accused of plotting the 26/11 terror attacks, has gone viral as the latter was extradited from the US and reached Delhi on Thursday evening. PM Modi, in his 2011 post, had criticised the previous Congress-led government's foreign policy after the US "disgraced the sovereignty of India" by declaring Rana "innocent".
In 2011, a US court had cleared Rana of a direct role in helping plot the attacks that killed 166 people, but convicted him for supporting a terrorist group blamed for the attacks.
US declaring Tahawwur Rana innocent in Mumbai attack has disgraced the sovereignty of India & it is a “major foreign policy setback”
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 10, 2011
The Pakistan ISI Nexus
Investigators are also expected to probe Rana about his alleged links to the Pakistani intelligence agency. According to NIA sources, some of the questions that may be asked are:
- Did Headley introduce Rana to the ISI, or was it the other way around?
- What was the ISI's objective? Were the Mumbai sites the only intended targets, or did plans exist to strike other Indian cities?
- Were senior ISI officials - besides Major Iqbal and Sameer Ali, both of whom are on NIA's most wanted list - also involved in coordinating with Headley and Rana?
- Who was responsible for financing the logistics of the attack?
- Was the ISI operating with knowledge or tacit approval from the Pakistani government?
- Who issued instructions during the attack - a real-time communications link was discovered during the siege. Does Rana know who was on the other end?
Interrogating Lashkar-e-Taiba Connection
From the Mumbai attacks, the interrogation will pivot to Rana's alleged links with Lashkar-e-Taiba. According to sources, officials want to determine:
- How and when did he meet LeT chief Hafiz Saeed?
- What was the nature of their relationship?
- Did he provide logistical or financial support to Lashkar? If so, what did the group provide in return?
- Can Rana identify other members of the LeT by name, face, or role?
- What is his understanding of the LeT's hierarchy, recruitment methods, and funding sources?
- Who supplies the group's weaponry, and which countries are allegedly involved?
- What role do the Pakistani Army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) play in training, funding, and selecting targets?
- Does Rana have knowledge of training camps run by LeT and HuJI (Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami)?
- How many ISI officers are involved in this process, and what exactly is taught during these training modules?
- Who makes the final decisions about executing attacks? Are instructions relayed directly by ISI officers or routed through LeT intermediaries?
- What psychological conditioning is employed to ready young men for suicide missions?
- How many individuals are involved in the operational planning of a typical attack, and what specific roles do they play?
Key Questions That Will Be Put To Tahawwur Rana:
- Where was he physically located on November 26, 2008, when the attacks began?
- Why did he travel to India between November 8 and November 21 of that year? Where did he go, and whom did he meet during this window?
- When did he first learn about the impending Mumbai attacks?
- What was the extent of his relationship with David Headley, and why did he help procure a fake visa for him?
- What kind of information did Headley relay to Rana during his visits to India?
- What was the nature of Rana's conversations with Headley? Did they involve detailed planning of the attacks?
- What direct or indirect role did Rana play in selecting and surveilling potential targets?
- How did he assist Headley in gathering actionable intelligence for Lashkar-e-Taiba?
- Was he involved in any logistical planning or funding of the operation?
- Did he liaise with operatives beyond Headley - including individuals embedded in the LeT and Pakistan's ISI network?
"Even Today The Bullet Causes Pain": Mumbai Attack Survivor Remembers Night of Terror
Fresh Images Show Tahawwur Rana Being Handed Over To Indian Officers
The US Justice Department released photos of Tahawwur Rana, clad in a beige prison-issued uniform and flanked by US Marshals, being delivered into the custody of representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs at a secure location on April 9.
Tahawwur Rana Told David Headley "Indians Deserved It" After 26/11: US
The US Department of Justice said that after the Mumbai attacks, which were carried out by 10 Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, Tahawwur Rana allegedly told co-conspirator David Headley that the Indians "deserved it."
"In an intercepted conversation with Headley, Rana allegedly commended the nine LeT terrorists who had been killed committing the attacks, saying that "[t]hey should be given Nishan-e-Haider"-Pakistan's "highest award for gallantry in battle," which is reserved for fallen soldiers," it said in a statement.
The interrogation will also focus on the Mumbai attacks, in which Tahawwur Rana is accused of facilitating reconnaissance missions, aiding Headley's fake visa applications, and liaising with LeT terrorists.
Tahawwur Rana's First Round Of Interrogation: Establishing Identity
The first leg of Tahawwur Rana's interrogation will focus on his personal and familial background, according to NIA sources. Investigators will probe details about his upbringing, education, family, and career, including his transition from a trained medical doctor to an alleged conspirator in international terrorism.
In particular, they will ask why he brought his wife with him during his 2008 visit to India. Did his family know about his alleged links to David Coleman Headley or his role in planning the 26/11 attacks?
Tahawwur Rana To Undergo Medical Check-Up Every 48 Hours
Tahawwur Rana's legal team in the US had cited multiple life-threatening medical conditions - including chronic asthma, Parkinson's disease, heart ailments, suspected bladder cancer, and cognitive decline - in a last-ditch attempt to block his extradition. They warned that Indian custody would effectively amount to a death sentence. But both the US federal courts and ultimately the US Supreme Court rejected the argument, clearing the path for his return to India.
A medical check-up will be administered every 48 hours to monitor his health and ensure compliance with human rights standards. Special precautions are being taken to prevent any possibility of self-harm in case Rana attempts to escape accountability by compromising his safety.
NIA Interrogates Tahawwur Rana
Inside a sealed, CCTV-monitored interrogation room, equipped with video-recording equipment, a team led by NIA officers of Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent rank began the probe this morning.
A daily interrogation diary will be maintained, detailing every exchange and answer. At the end of the 18-day custody period, a comprehensive disclosure statement - legally admissible - will be prepared as part of the case diary.
Tahawwur Rana In Jail
Tahawwur Rana has been kept in a 14x14 cell on the ground floor of the NIA headquarters, according to sources. This cell is equipped with CCTV cameras, a bed and a toilet. Multiple layers of digital security have been placed, as well as a retinue of 24-hour guards. Only 12 NIA officials are allowed to enter this cell.
