Who is Tahawwur Hussain Rana whose review plea against his extradition to India denied was by US Supreme Court, he was friends with...

Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin implicated in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, is set to be extradited to India after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his plea seeking an emergency stay on the process. Rana, currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, had filed multiple appeals to halt his extradition, but the court's decision marks a significant step toward holding him accountable for his alleged role in the attacks.

Rana's involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks stems from his association with David Coleman Headley, a Pakistani-American operative of Lashkar-e-Taiba and one of the key conspirators. Rana reportedly assisted Headley in obtaining a visa for India under the guise of setting up a branch of his immigration consultancy business. Headley used this visa to conduct reconnaissance of potential targets, including the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, which Lashkar terrorists later attacked. Rana is accused of aiding and abetting these activities and faces charges in India related to conspiracy, waging war, murder, terrorism, and forgery.

Born in Pakistan in 1961, Rana served as a military doctor before immigrating to Canada in 1997 and establishing an immigration consultancy business. He gained Canadian citizenship in 2001 and later moved to Chicago to expand his operations. In 2009, he was arrested in the US for plotting an attack on a Danish newspaper and providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba. While he was acquitted of charges directly related to the Mumbai attacks during his trial in Chicago, he was convicted on other terrorism-related charges and sentenced to 14 years in prison. After serving seven years, Rana was released on compassionate grounds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

India has been pursuing Rana's extradition under the India-US Extradition Treaty signed in 1997. The U.S. District Court approved his extradition last year, affirming that India had provided sufficient evidence to support its case. The Supreme Court’s rejection of Rana’s appeal clears the way for his transfer to India, where authorities are prepared to bring him to justice for his alleged role in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in India's history.

The 2008 Mumbai attacks claimed 166 lives, including six Americans, during a coordinated assault by ten Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists over 60 hours. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has assured that Mumbai is equipped to handle high-profile criminals like Rana once he arrives, emphasizing that justice will be served for the victims of 26/11.