New Delhi: 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who was successfully extradited from United States to India on Thursday, a major breakthrough for the Indian investigation agencies, was produced before the NIA court in New Delhi where the probing agency sought a 14-day custody to conduct further interrogation of the terror plotter.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday evening formally arrested Tahawwur Rana immediately after his arrival at IGIA, New Delhi, following his successful extradition from the United States.
NIA had secured Rana’s extradition following years of sustained and concerted efforts, and after the terror mastermind’s last-ditch efforts to get a stay on his extradition from the US failed.
The Mumbai terror attacks co-conspirator, in India now, will face a trial and grilled by the investigation agencies of how he actually planned one of the deadliest terror attacks in the country. The probing agencies is expected to leave no stone unturned to find out who were the other conspirators including Pakistanis involved in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks which claimed lives of 166 people.
Tahawwur Rana was brought to Patiala House Court and produced before the special NIA court. The probing agency is seeking his custodial interrogation during which he will be confronted on evidence emails, travel records, testimonies collected to ascertain a fresh leads into the role of the Pakistani state actors.
Lauding government’s and investigation agency’s move to successfully secure Tahawwur Rana’s extradition from United States, many people on social media said that he is the first thing that has been imported from United States without any tariffs, linking the development on a lighter note with Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on partner trading nations.
A user named Prakash Bhatia wrote on X, “BREAKING NEWS… The first item imported from the US without any tariff is Tahawwur Rana… the master mind of 26/11 Mumbai carnage.”
Another user Ravi Singh shared a photo of Tahawwur Rana being in NIA custody with caption, “First photo of Tahawwur Rana in NIA custody. Destiny had written that justice would be done to it in India only. Jai Hind!
Anudas S, a user on X, formerly Twitter, also lauded the government for bringing back terrorist Tahawwur Rana to face trial in India saying, “Imported with 0% Tariff!”
Tahawwur Rana is accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley aka Daood Gilani, and operatives of designated terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI) along with other Pakistan-based co-conspirators, to carry out the devastating terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008. A total of 166 persons were killed and over 238 injured in the deadly attacks.
Both LeT and HUJI have been declared as terrorist organisations by the Government of India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
