Tahawwur Rana, Mumbai terror plotter, wanted Pakistan's highest honor to LeT terrorists: US DOJ

Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has been extradited to India. He is now in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for an 18-day interrogation. Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, expressed admiration for the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who were neutralised by the Indian security forces during the attacks. He even suggested that the LeT terrorists be awarded Pakistan’s highest military honour, the Nishan-e-Haider, as revealed by the US Department of Justice in an official statement while responding to Tahawwur Rana’s extradition to India. 

Strikingly, the US had intercepted conversations between Rana and David Coleman Headley (alias Daood Gilani), the main conspirator of the 26/11 attacks. The US authorities noted that Rana, during these discussions, commended the LeT terrorists and said the LeT terrorists should be posthumously given the Nishan-e-Haider, an honour traditionally reserved for Pakistan’s fallen soldiers.

“They should be given Nishan-e-Haider,” Rana said during one of the conversations. He also added that “Indians deserved it,” referring to the brutal assault that claimed 166 lives, including six American citizens.

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The 2008 Mumbai attacks were orchestrated by ten Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who infiltrated the city via sea routes and unleashed a series of coordinated attacks between November 26 and 29. Their targets included Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Café Leopold, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, and Nariman House, a Jewish community centre. The mayhem lasted nearly three days, resulting in extensive human casualties and property damage exceeding $1.5 billion. Nine terrorists were neutralised by Indian forces, while the lone captured attacker, Ajmal Kasab, was executed in 2012.

Tahawwur Rana was handed over to Indian authorities by US Marshals and brought to India on Thursday. He was produced in a special NIA court, which sanctioned 18 days of custody for further investigation. The NIA had initially requested 20 days.

Rana’s role in the attack is deemed important because of his closeness with Headley, who carried out pre-attack reconnaissance missions in Mumbai. Rana is believed to have given material support and a cover for Headley’s operations in the name of operating an immigration consultancy.

His extradition is a major breakthrough in the 26/11 investigation, as India seeks to learn more about the international network involved in the attack.