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| US court denies bail to Rana; says he could flee |
| Yoshita Singh/PTI / Chicago Dec 16, 2009, 12:30 IST |
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Pakistan-born Canadian Tahawwur Rana, accused of plotting terror attacks in India and Denmark, was today denied bail by a US court, which said if released he may flee the country to avoid a possible 30-year jail term.
Dismissing the bail plea, US Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan at Federal court here said with Rana's expertise in immigration business, there is a risk that he can leave the US as his possible incarceration "could give him a motive to flee".
Nolan rejected his family's offer of $one million in bond to release him, saying this was not "sufficient".
In fresh affidavits, the FBI said 48-year-old Rana, co-conspirator of LeT operative David Coleman Headley, "knew in advance" about the 26/11 Mumbai attacks after which he "complimented" the Pakistan-based terror outfit.
Rana, who runs an immigration business and grocery store in the city, has travelled extensively outside the US, going to countries like UAE, China, India, UK, Germany and Saudi Arabia and has a lot of international contacts, Nolan said at the 45-minute long hearing.
With a net worth of $1.6 million, Rana also has "significant financial resources", which could be used if he has to fly out of the country, the judge said.
Nolan ruled that Rana is a "risk of flight" since he maintains strong family ties with Canada where his father and siblings live and "has some but not substantial ties to the US".
Rana was arrested by the FBI in October on charges that he was helping co-conspirator Headley plot attack on India and Denmark.
The judge also said that since Rana owns and operates an immigration business, he would have "expertise in immigration business and more means and knowledge to flee. Due to all these reasons, Rana poses a serious risk of flight", Nolan said.
After the hearing, Rana shook hands with his lawyer and was handcuffed before he was taken out of the court.
Talking to reporters later, Rana's lawyer Patrick Blegen said his client is "disappointed" but in the "light of the circumstances, his spirits are good". "But he is as am I very much looking forward to contesting these charges when we get our opportunity in court," Blegen said.
On whether David Headley's "cooperation" in the case impacted Rana's case, he said: "Headley is cooperating with the investigation. "I don't know whether he is cooperating against Rana or not. I am not privy to the information yet, if Headley is cooperating he may not be telling the truth".
"The government has got an extension of time to return the indictment until January 14 and if they indict on the day, the process of fighting the case in earnest will begin," he said.
The government had argued that Rana, who also possesses an expired Pakistani passport, be detained pending trial as he could be a danger to the community and is a serious "risk of flight".
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