US clears 26/11 Mumbai attack accused Tahawwur Rana’s extradition to India
The US Supreme Court has approved the extradition of 2008 Mumbai attack accused Tahawwur Rana to India, dismissing his review petition against the move.
Rana filed a “petition for a writ of certiorari” before the US Supreme Court in November last year. However, his petition was denied by the top court on January 21, a day after Donald Trump assumed the role of US president, as per reports.
“Petition DENIED,” the Supreme Court said.
This was reportedly his last legal opportunity not to be extradited to India. Previously, he lost legal battles in several federal courts, including the US Court of Appeals for the North Circuit in San Francisco.
On December 16, US Solicitor General Elizabeth B Prelogar filed a response urging the court to reject his petition.
“The government does not concede that all of the conduct on which India seeks extradition was covered by the government’s prosecution in this case. For example, India’s forgery charges are based in part on conduct that was not charged in the United States: petitioner’s use of false information in an application to formally open a branch office of the Immigration Law Center submitted to the Reserve Bank of India,” the US Solicitor General said, according to Hindustan Times.
In his petitions to review the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Rana argued that he was tried and acquitted in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago) on charges linked to the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. “India now seeks to extradite him for trial on charges based on the identical conduct at issue in the Chicago case,” it said.
The 64-year-old is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. Rana is also reportedly connected with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
In the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, a total of 166 people, including six Americans, were killed across iconic locations of the financial capital of India.
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