US Supreme Court clears 2008 Mumbai attack convict’s extradition to India

ISLAMABAD: The US Supreme Court has cleared 2008 Mumbai attack convict Tahawwur Rana’s extradition to India.

Rana is accused of being associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) activist David Coleman Headley. Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian national is wanted in the 2008 Mumbai attacks case. India has long sought his extradition.

This comes weeks after Rana approached the US Supreme Court against his extradition to India after losing the legal battle in lower courts.

On January 21, The US Supreme Court denied a petition of writ of certiorari filed by Rana seeking to prevent his extradition to India.

Rana had last reached out to the US Court of Appeals for the North Circuit in San Francisco after losing the legal battle in lower courts and several federal courts. This was Rana’s last legal chance not to be extradited to India.

According to reports on December 16, US Solicitor General Elizabeth B Prelogar urged the Supreme to reject the petition. Rana’s counsel Joshua L Dratel, in his response on December 23 challenged the US government’s recommendation and pleaded with the Supreme Court that his writ be accepted.

A total of 166 people, including six Americans, were killed in the Mumbai terror attacks in which 10 persons laid a more than 60-hour siege, attacking and killing people at iconic and vital locations in Mumbai.

Lashkar-e-Taiba on November 22, 2009 denied any link with David or Rana.

A British news agency reported LeT spokesman Abdullah Gaznavi as saying, “David Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana have no connections with Lashkar-e-Taiba. Linking them with our organisation was propaganda aimed at maligning Kashmir’s freedom struggle. “We strongly condemn it.”

LeT said it is not associated with militant groups operating globally, and denies any links to the Pakistan government. “All our members are local Kashmiri Muslims and we have no network in America, or any other place,” Mr Gaznavi said.