US Supreme Court Approves Extradition Of Tahawwur Rana To India For Role In 26/11 Mumbai Attacks

The US Supreme Court has authorised the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, convicted in relation to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, to India.

Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani descent, is wanted by Indian authorities for his alleged involvement in the attacks that targeted several locations in Mumbai.

At 63, Rana has been held in a Los Angeles prison since his arrest by the FBI in Chicago in 2009.

He is connected to Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, also known as "Daood Gilani," a central figure in the attacks.

Rana is accused of assisting Headley and others in Pakistan to support the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in executing the attack. Headley, who has become an approver in the case, is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence in the US for his role in the attacks.

After weeks of challenging his extradition in the US Supreme Court, Tahawwur Rana's appeal has been dismissed, clearing the way for his transfer to India.

In his appeal, Rana argued that he had already been tried and acquitted in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago) on charges linked to the Mumbai attacks.

He further contended that he could be sent to India for a second trial on the same charges, risking a conviction and death sentence.

Having lost previous legal battles in lower and federal courts, Rana had taken his case to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco.

On December 16, US Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar urged the Supreme Court to reject Rana's petition. Rana's lawyer, Joshua L. Dratel, responded on December 23, opposing the government's stance and requesting that the Supreme Court consider the case. However, the Court declined to hear the plea.

Rana is accused of being involved in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which resulted in 166 deaths, including six Americans.