Who is Tahawwur Rana? What led to his extradition from US?

Tahawwur Rana, a 64-year-old Pakistani-born Canadian national and one of the key plotters of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, landed at Delhi's Palam Airport following his extradition from the United States. 

Rana has been brought to India after the US Supreme Court, on April 4, rejected his review application to escape extradition. 

Who is Tahawwur Rana?

Born on January 12, 1961, in the Punjab province of Pakistan, Tahawwur Rana is a physician by profession. He also served as a captain general duty practitioner in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps, according to a report by The Deccan Herald. 

In 1997, he immigrated to Canada along with his wife and obtained a Canadian citizenship. He primarily lived in Chicago and owned multiple businesses there. Moreover, Tahawwur Rana had also attended training camps operated by banned terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan. 

A timeline of the events leading to Rana's extradition 

1. 2008 - Around 11 days before the 26/11 attacks, one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the Indian history, Tahawwur Rana traveled to India and stayed in the Taj Hotel in Mumbai - one of the prominent places attacked by the terrorists. 

2. October, 2009 - Rana and David Coleman Headley were arrested for allegedly plotting to attack the offices of Jyllands-Posten newspaper in Europe for publishing cartoons of the founder of Islam - Prophet Mohammad. 

3. May, 2011- US District Court begins the legal trial against Rana. 

4. June, 2011 - The jury found Rana guilty of conspiring to provide material support to 26/11 attacks in Mumbai that killed more than 160 people, including six Americans. 

5. June, 2011 - The Indian government expressed disappointment over the acquittal of Rana by a US court. 

6. March-April 2016 - David Coleman Headley provided details on the role of Tahawwur Rana in the Mumbai attack case. 

7. January, 2025 - US Supreme Court rejects Tahawwur Rana's plea challenging his extradition to India. 

8. April, 2025 - Tahwwur Rana is brought to India. 

With inputs from PTI