India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) officially apprehended Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the principal conspirator behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, on April 10, immediately upon his arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport following his extradition from the United States. This extradition was the result of years of persistent efforts, culminating in the failure of Rana’s last-minute attempts to halt the process. He was transported to New Delhi on a special flight from Los Angeles, accompanied by teams from the National Security Guard and NIA, which included senior officials.Upon his arrival at the airport, the NIA investigation team arrested Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani descent who had primarily resided in Chicago, as he disembarked from the aircraft after fulfilling all legal requirements.
Rana had been in judicial custody in the U.S. due to proceedings initiated by the NIA under the India-U.S. Extradition Treaty. His extradition was finalized after a series of legal challenges and appeals, including an emergency application to the U.S. Supreme Court, were dismissed, aided by the cooperation of various U.S. agencies such as the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in New Delhi, and the Department of State’s Office of the Legal Adviser for Law Enforcement. Rana, who was born in Pakistan, is alleged to have conspired with David Coleman Headley and members of designated terrorist organizations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI), along with other co-conspirators based in Pakistan, to execute the catastrophic attacks in Mumbai in 2008, which resulted in the deaths of 166 individuals and injuries to over 238 others. In anticipation of the proceedings, security measures were heightened outside the NIA office on Lodhi Road in New Delhi, with the Delhi police erecting barricades to prevent any incidents.India has designated Advocate Narendra Mann as the Special Public Prosecutor for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case. His tenure will last for three years or until the trial is completed, whichever occurs first. From 2011 to 2019, Mann held the position of Special Public Prosecutor for the Central Bureau of Investigation at the Delhi High Court, where he managed significant criminal cases, appeals, writ petitions, and corruption trials. His vast experience encompasses notable cases, including the Medical Council scam, AICTE scam, Commonwealth Games investigations, CGHS Societies scam, and various banking frauds.
