Tahawwur Rana fears 'death' if extradited to India, begs US court for stay

Tahawwur Rana, who holds Canadian citizenship and has Pakistani origins, alleged that his extradition would lead to torture, citing his status as a Pakistani-origin Muslim individual

Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, made a last-ditch attempt to avoid extradition to India, claiming that he would face “torture” if sent back.

 

He approached the US Supreme Court seeking an emergency stay on his previously authorised extradition, arguing that the chances of his survival would be too slim to face trial in India. His petition specifically warned, “if a stay is not entered, there will be no review at all, and the US courts will lose jurisdiction, and the petitioner will soon be dead," reported the Times of India.

 

Rana, who holds Canadian citizenship and has Pakistani origins, alleged that his extradition would lead to torture, citing his status as a Pakistani-origin Muslim individual.

 

This plea comes after his extradition was cleared by US President Donald Trump last month. In a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump announced that Rana’s extradition had been approved, and hinted that other extraditions would follow. "We are giving a very violent man [Tahawwur Rana] back to India immediately. There are more to follow because we have quite a few requests. We work with India on crime, and we want to make things better for India," Trump stated.

 

Rana’s extradition had previously been cleared by a lower court, and the US Supreme Court rejected his appeal on January 21, upholding the decision. Rana is wanted in India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which were carried out by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, resulting in the deaths of over 174 people.

 

Rana faces charges in India for providing logistical support to LeT, a banned terrorist organisation. He was found guilty in the US for assisting the group, and India has long sought his extradition.

 

In connection with the 26/11 attacks, Rana is accused of aiding his associate, David Coleman Headley (also known as Daood Gilani), who was arrested by US authorities in 2009. Headley, a US citizen with a Pakistani father, is believed to have scouted potential targets for the LeT attack on Indian soil. Rana reportedly helped Headley by providing false documents that allowed him to travel to India and scout the targets for the deadly 2008 operation.