New Delhi: US President Donald Trump announced his decision to extradite 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks accused Tahawwur Rana Thursday after a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House.
Trump also said that India and the US will work together like never before to confront the threat of radical Islamic terrorism, which he said was a threat all over the world actually.
“Today 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 and having to do with the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack, to face justice in India. He is going to be going back to India to face justice,” said Trump at the joint press conference following the meeting with Modi.
The American President in response to a question on Sikh separatism added that Rana is a “very violent man” being returned to India, highlighting that more such extraditions may follow due to the number of requests from New Delhi.
Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin is wanted in India for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, which left 166 people and nine out of the 10 terrorist attackers dead. The only terrorist captured, Ajmal Kasab, was sentenced to death and hanged in 2012.
Last month, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that India is working on the procedural issues for the extradition of Rana, following the US Supreme Court dismissing his review petition on 21 January. This was the last legal recourse for Rana to prevent his extradition to India.
Extradition can happen within 24 hours of the approval given by the US administration. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has assembled a team of five officers, who will travel to the US, after the official approval has been signed by the American administration, as reported by ThePrint earlier.
Rana is being held at a detention facility in Los Angeles. A tentative team of officers including officers from the Inspector General rank will be a part of the process to bring Rana to India. Meanwhile, in India, the Tihar prison complex was asked to make preparations for the transfer of Rana last month.
PM Modi thanked Trump for the extradition of Rana. According to foreign secretary Vikram Misri, the two sides are working out the logistics for the transfer of Rana to India.
Rana, a former doctor with the Pakistan Army, migrated to Canada in 1997 and later to the US, where he set up an immigration firm, which was allegedly used as a front by Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist David Headley.
However, Rana was acquitted in 2011 of aiding Headley’s terrorist activities.
Headley was convicted. In a separate case, Rana was convicted of hatching a conspiracy to attack a Danish newspaper and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
During the COVID-19 pandemic he was released on compassionate grounds, but arrested by US authorities following an extradition request from New Delhi. In 2023, a US court ordered his extradition—an order which was challenged by Rana’s lawyers, till it reached the Supreme Court in November 2024.
The announcement of Rana’s extradition by Trump comes at the end of Modi’s visit to the US. The Indian Prime Minister who was on a 2-day visit to the US, met Trump Thursday afternoon—the fourth international leader to meet with the US President since the latter’s inauguration last month.
A number of issues were discussed between the two leaders including further cooperation on crime and combating international terrorism.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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President Trump must extradite all Khalistani terrorists like Pannun and others to India. These cowards must stand trial in Indian courts for their misdeeds.
Also, every single Khalistani gurudwara in USA must be raided by ICE, CBP and FBI agents. All illegal immigrants must be arrested from these gurudwaras and sent back to India.