US Chief Justice to Review Tahawwur Rana’s Extradition Plea on April 4!
The US Supreme Court will hear Tahawwur Rana’s plea against extradition on April 4. Rana, a co-conspirator in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, seeks an emergency stay. His plea delays his extradition by a few more weeks.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court clerk distributed Rana’s petition for conference. Justices will review the case materials and decide on further action. Indian officials remain confident that Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. will deny relief.
Earlier, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan rejected Rana’s plea on March 6. In his petition, Rana argued that as a Muslim of Pakistani origin and a former Pakistan Army officer, he risks torture in India. He cited a UK court’s recent refusal to extradite arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari on similar grounds.
The US Supreme Court had already rejected Rana’s plea on January 21. The Trump administration approved his surrender to the NIA during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington. The State Department confirmed that Secretary of State signed Rana’s surrender warrant.
Currently, Rana remains in Los Angeles’ Metropolitan Detention Center. The FBI will hand him over to NIA on a mutually agreed date.
The 26/11 attacks killed 166 people, including 24 foreign nationals. Ten heavily armed Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists arrived in Mumbai by sea and held the city hostage for 60 hours. They gunned down civilians at multiple locations.
Captured terrorist Ajmal Kasab’s interrogation and technical investigations exposed Pakistan’s role. The ISI and three Pakistani military officials were named key conspirators, along with LeT chief Hafiz Saeed.
David Coleman Headley, a US citizen and Rana’s childhood friend, conducted reconnaissance of Mumbai targets. The FBI arrested him in 2009. He is serving a 35-year sentence after striking a plea deal.
