Tahawwur Hussain Rana, accused of the 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attacks, is being brought to India after 16 years of the incident. He is responsible for the deaths of over 150 people. A special flight carrying Rana departed from the US on April 9 and is expected to land in Delhi on April 10. Once he is in India, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will officially arrest him. He will be lodged in Tihar jail in New Delhi. Security is beefed up at NIA Headquarters in Delhi and outside Patiala House Court. He will be produced before the court on April 10.
Who Exposed Tahawwur Rana?
Let us tell you that Rana’s role in the terror attacks that were witnessed in Mumbai on 26 November 2008 was exposed by his co-conspirator and childhood friend, David Headley. He said that Rana helped him set up a fake immigration office in Mumbai as a cover for scouting terror targets. He made this revelation in his testimony, which was recorded in the Chicago Court. He was convicted by a US Court of aiding Lashkar-e-Taiba with a terror plot in Denmark. As agencies get ready to examine Rana about his involvement in 26/11, Headley's evidence can now be crucial to India's case.
Rana’s name was linked to the 26/11 Terror Attacks due to his long friendship with Headley. Headley was a Pakistani-American terrorist who was responsible for the reconnaissance of the 26/11 targets. Both of them first met at a military school in Hasan Abdal, Punjab. The two reunited in the US, and their friendship became the backbone of this deadly conspiracy.
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NIA Has Accused Tahawwur Rana Of:
- Helping Headley get an Indian Visa despite his known terror affiliations.
- Allowing Headley to use his business as a cover to form a branch in Mumbai, called Immigrant Law Centre, which helped in locating potential targets.
- Funding and arranging many trips to India for Headley between 2006 and 2008. During these trips, Headley visited key sites that were blown up in blasts and attacked, including the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Chabad House, and CST railway station.
- Visiting several Indian cities himself, including Delhi, Agra, Kochi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai
- Investigators of this incident say that Rana had full knowledge of Headley's mission and was in contact with him during his stay in India — over 200 phone calls have been cited as evidence.
- Investigators also say Rana was in touch with Major Iqbal, an alleged ISI handler, who was named as one of the masterminds behind the attack.