Mumbai terror attack convict Tahawwur Rana-
Mumbai terror attack convict Tahawwur Rana was trying all legal ways in the US to escape punishment but every court there has disappointed him. The US Supreme Court had allowed his extradition. Now the Foreign Ministry has given important information about his return to India.
The way for Tahawwur Rana, convicted of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, to return to India seems to be clear. India said on Friday that it is talking to US officials for Rana’s surrender. Rana has tried all legal ways in the US and has been disappointed everywhere. In January, the US Supreme Court approved Rana’s extradition to India and now India is talking to US officials for his surrender.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has given this information in response to a question asked on Rana’s extradition. He said, ‘I think you must have come to know from the recent developments that Rana has exhausted all legal avenues in the US, the US Supreme Court has also rejected his appeal. So we are now in touch with the US authorities so that Rana surrenders before the Indian authorities. As soon as we get further information on this particular case, we will inform you. On January 21, the US Supreme Court rejected Rana’s review petition, paving the way for his extradition to India.
India had earlier also said that it is working with the US authorities for the early extradition of Rana. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said, ‘We have now shared information with the US side for the early extradition of the Mumbai terrorist attack accused to India, which were placed before the lower court and the Supreme Court.
The US Supreme Court accepted the evidence provided by India and rejected Tahawwur’s petition and approved his extradition to India.
Earlier, he had appealed against extradition in many courts including the US Appeals Court for the Northern Circuit in San Francisco, but his appeal was rejected everywhere. Tahawwur Rana is currently in custody in the Metropolitan Detention Center. Rana has links with Pakistan’s ISI and is also associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba.
In the charge sheet filed by Mumbai Police in 2008 regarding the 22/11 terrorist attacks, Tahawwur is accused of being associated with Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI and the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba. It is alleged that Rana had helped David Coleman Headley, the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks.
In the charge sheet, Mumbai Police accused Rana of conducting a recce of the attack site and preparing its blueprint and handing it over to the Pakistani terrorists.
What happened on 26/11 –
On 26 November 2008, 10 Lashkar terrorists entered Mumbai via the sea and caused such a blast that the metropolis was shaken. The terrorists carried out blasts in 9 places, out of which 8 areas were in South Mumbai – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Oberoi Trident Hotel, Taj Hotel, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital Nariman House, Metro Cinema, Times of India Building and the area near St. Xavier’s College. Blasts also took place in taxis in Mumbai’s port area, Mazgaon and Vile Parle.
Mumbai Police and security forces secured almost all the areas from terrorists by the morning of 28 November, but they could not catch the terrorists hiding in the Taj Hotel. To catch them, the help of National Security Guards (NSG) had to be taken, which carried out ‘Operation Black Tornado’ on 29 November and killed the terrorists hiding in the Taj Hotel. The period of terror in Mumbai lasted for 72 hours. A total of 166 people, including 6 American citizens, died in the Mumbai attacks and more than 300 people were injured.
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