Daijiworld Media Network- New Delhi

New Delhi, Apr 9: After a prolonged legal battle, 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana is slated to be extradited to India on Wednesday, following the US Supreme Court's rejection of his plea to halt the process.

According to sources, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will take custody of the Pakistani-Canadian national upon his arrival. It is expected that Rana will be flown to Mumbai, where the 2008 attacks were carried out, although official confirmation on his point of landing remains awaited.

The NIA is preparing for Rana’s custody and initial interrogation. Special arrangements are being made in high-security facilities, sources said, with jails being readied to detain him during the course of investigations.

Rana, an alleged operative of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), is accused of aiding his childhood friend and co-conspirator David Coleman Headley in reconnaissance for the deadly attacks that claimed 157 lives in Mumbai. While Rana was acquitted by a US jury on charges directly linked to the attacks, he was convicted on two other counts, serving over a decade in prison.

He was rearrested post-Covid release under the US-India extradition treaty after Indian authorities pressed for his extradition. His legal team had attempted to block the move, citing the risk of torture in Indian custody, referencing a similar UK case. However, those arguments were rejected at every level, with Justice Elena Kagan and later Chief Justice John Roberts dismissing the appeals.

Interestingly, former US President Donald Trump had publicly announced Rana’s planned extradition during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington, signalling strong Indo-US cooperation on counterterrorism.

Rana's extradition marks a significant breakthrough for Indian investigators seeking justice in one of the country’s worst terror attacks. The NIA is expected to present Rana before a special court following his arrival and seek remand for custodial interrogation.