Tahawwur Rana said 'Indians deserved it' after 26/11: US govt confirms

After 26/11, Tahawwur Rana told Headley that Indians 'deserved it', says US DOJ, calling his extradition to India a critical step in delivering long-awaited justice

“Indians deserved it!” These chilling words, allegedly said by 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana after the Mumbai terror attacks, have been revealed by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) as the Pakistani-origin Canadian national was extradited to India on April 10.

 

Calling the extradition a “critical step toward seeking justice” for the victims of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, including six Americans, the US DOJ on Thursday said Rana praised the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who carried out the assault and even suggested they be awarded Pakistan’s highest military honour.

 

“In an intercepted conversation with [David] Headley, Rana allegedly commended the nine LeT terrorists who had been killed committing the attacks, saying that they should be given Nishan-e-Haider,” the DOJ said. The award is Pakistan’s highest honour for battlefield bravery, typically reserved for fallen soldiers. 

 

 

Rana also allegedly told David Headley that the victims of the Mumbai attack—166 people in total, including children, police officers, and foreign nationals—“deserved it.”

 

Rana lands in Delhi following extradition 

Rana, 64, arrived in New Delhi on Thursday evening aboard a special aircraft from the US. His extradition follows the US Supreme Court’s rejection of his appeal to stay in US, where he had been serving a sentence in a separate terror-related case.

 

The Pakistan-born Canadian citizen is accused of being a key facilitator of the Mumbai attacks, allegedly using his immigration business in Chicago to help fellow Pakistani-American and childhood friend David Coleman Headley carry out surveillance for Lashkar-e-Taiba.

 

26/11 connection: How Rana helped Headley 

According to the Department of Justice, Rana, who once served as a military doctor in the Pakistani Army, helped Headley obtain business credentials and Indian visas under false pretences. This allowed Headley, born Daood Gilani, to enter India multiple times between 2006 and 2008 and survey major locations in Mumbai, including the Taj Mahal Hotel, Oberoi Trident, and Chabad House.

 

Rana allegedly allowed Headley to pose as the manager of a Mumbai office of his immigration firm, despite knowing Headley had no qualifications or background in the field. The DOJ said Rana personally assisted Headley in submitting visa applications to Indian authorities with fraudulent information and provided cover documents through an unsuspecting business partner. 

 

Over two years, Headley and Rana allegedly met multiple times in Chicago, where Headley shared updates about his surveillance activities and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s responses and future plans. Headley is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence in the US after pleading guilty to terrorism charges linked to the Mumbai attacks and another plot targeting a Danish newspaper.

 

Charges awaiting Rana in India 

In India, Tahawwur Rana faces multiple charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, including criminal conspiracy, murder, forgery, and waging war against the Government of India. He had been arrested in the US back in 2009 after being named by Headley during investigations into the 26/11 attacks.

 

While nine of the ten LeT terrorists were killed by Indian forces during the 60-hour siege in Mumbai, the lone survivor, Ajmal Kasab, was captured, tried, and executed in 2012.

 

A long road to justice 

India had been pursuing Rana’s extradition for more than a decade. The process accelerated in 2020 after Headley’s testimony and evidence were re-examined by US courts. Following a lengthy legal battle, the US government approved the extradition in 2023, and the final clearance came from the Supreme Court earlier this year.

 

Rana’s arrival in India is seen as a major diplomatic and legal milestone in the 26/11 case, one of the deadliest terror attacks in Indian history.

 

“The extradition of Tahawwur Rana is a significant step in holding all conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks accountable,” the US DOJ said. “This reflects the strength of our partnership with India in fighting terrorism.”  (With agency inputs)