'Indians deserved it', Tahawwur Rana allegedly told Headley after 26/11 attacks

Tahawwur Rana allegedly said the Indians ldquodeserved itrdquo and commended the nine LashkareTaiba LeT terrorists killed during the 2611 Mumbai terror attacks suggesting that they should be given lsquoNishaneHaiderrsquo Pakistans highest gallantry award the United States US Department of Justice revealed according to news agency PTIThe US on Wednesday extradited Rana a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin to stand trial in India on 10 criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the 2611 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166 people including six AmericansldquoRanas extradition is a critical step toward seeking justice for the six Americans and scores of other victims who were killed in the heinous attacksrdquo the Department of Justice said in a statement according to PTIIndia has alleged that Rana facilitated a fraudulent cover so that his childhood friend David Headley a US citizen born as Daood Gilani could freely travel to Mumbai to conduct surveillance of potential attack sites for LeTAfter the attack Rana allegedly told Headley one of the main conspirators of the assault that the Indians ldquodeserved itrdquo the Department of Justice statement said according to PTIldquoIn an intercepted conversation with Headley Rana allegedly commended the nine LeT terrorists who had been killed committing the attacks saying that they should be given NishaneHaidermdashPakistans highest award for gallantry in battle which is reserved for fallen soldiersrdquo the statement addedlsquo2611 Mumbai terror attacks among most horrific and catastrophic in Indias historyrsquo India alleges that Headley received training from LeT members in Pakistan and was in direct communication with the terrorist outfit about plans to attack MumbaiRana agreed to open a Mumbai branch of his immigration business and appoint Headley as the manager of the office despite the latter having no immigration experience the statement readOn two separate occasions Rana allegedly helped Headley prepare and submit visa applications to Indian authorities that contained information the former knew to be falseRana also supplied through his unsuspecting business partner documentation in support of Headleyrsquos attempt to secure formal approval from Indian authorities to open a branch office of his immigration businessldquoOver more than two years Headley repeatedly met Rana in Chicago and described his surveillance activities on behalf of LeT LeTs responses to Headleys activities and LeTs potential plans for attacking Mumbairdquo the statement readBetween November 26 and 29 2008 ten LeT terrorists carried out a series of 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks in MumbaiLeT terrorists infiltrated the city by sea dispersing to multiple locations in teams They attacked a train station two restaurants the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and a Jewish community centreHundreds of people were injured in the 2611 Mumbai terror attacks and Indiarsquos Financial Capital sustained more than USD 15 billion in property damageldquoThe attacks were among the most horrific and catastrophic in Indias historyrdquo the US Department of Justice statement saidIn 2013 Tahawwur Rana was sentenced for foiled terror plot in DenmarkIt also noted that Indias pending proceedings against Rana are not the first proceedings in which he has been accused of conspiring to commit violent acts of terrorism In 2013 Rana was sentenced to 14 years in prison following his trial conviction in the Northern District of Illinois for conspiring to provide material support to LeT and to a foiled LeTsponsored terrorist plot in Copenhagen DenmarkAs part of those same criminal proceedings Headley pleaded guilty to 12 federal terrorism charges including aiding and abetting the murders of the six Americans in Mumbai and later planning to attack a Danish newspaper and was sentenced to 35 years in prison the statement saidIn June 2020 the United States acted on a request for Ranas extradition submitted by India which Rana contested for almost five years On May 16 2023 a US magistrate in the Central District of California certified Ranas extradition to India Rana then filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus which the US District Court in the Central District of California denied on August 10 2023On August 15 2024 the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed that decision The Supreme Court similarly denied Ranas ldquopetition for certiorarirdquo on January 21 2025The Secretary of State issued a warrant ordering Ranas surrender to Indian authorities Both the district court and the Ninth Circuit denied Ranas application for a stay of extradition and on April 7 the US Supreme Court denied Ranas application for a stay of extraditionOn April 9 the US Marshals Service executed the Secretarys surrender warrant by surrendering Rana to Indian authorities for transportation to India the statement saidThe statement also named US officials who handled the extradition litigation The US Marshals Service and attorneys and international affairs specialists in the Justice Departments Office of International Affairs provided support to this extradition it addedThe FBIs Legal Attacheacute Office in New Delhi also assisted the statement saidWith PTI inputsatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params