Tahawwur Rana, an accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, is being brought to India after exhausting all legal options to prevent his extradition from the United States, people familiar with the matter told NDTV. A special aircraft is transporting Rana and is expected to land in India either late Wednesday or early Thursday, with a refueling stop anticipated en route, they said.
This development follows the US Supreme Court's rejection of Rana's final petition on Monday, which sought a stay on his extradition. A similar request was denied by the same court in March.
Rana, an associate of Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, a central figure in the planning of the November 26, 2008 attacks, had argued against his extradition in US courts. His defense included claims of suffering from serious health issues, including an abdominal aortic aneurysm, Parkinson's disease with cognitive decline, and a suspected bladder tumor, asserting he would not survive a trial in India. He also alleged the risk of persecution in India due to national, religious, and cultural biases.
The extradition process gained momentum earlier this year when US President Donald Trump, during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February, announced that Rana would be brought to justice in India.
Rana, a Pakistani-origin businessman with interests in medicine and immigration services, is believed to have ties to the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence. While a US jury had previously acquitted him of providing material support for the Mumbai attacks, he was convicted on two other charges and served a prison sentence of over 10 years. Following a release due to health concerns after the Covid-19 pandemic, he was subsequently rearrested for extradition to India.
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