The US Supreme Court has rejected a plea by Tahawwur Rana, an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, seeking to block his extradition to India.
Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, had filed an Emergency Application for Stay. He argued in his plea that his extradition to India would violate the US law and the United Nations Convention Against Torture. The plea cited medical records showing that he has multiple acute and life-threatening diagnoses, including multiple documented heart attacks, Parkinson’s disease with cognitive decline, a mass suggestive of bladder cancer, stage 3 chronic kidney disease, a history of chronic asthma, and multiple COVID-19 infections.
Rana’s 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. He is wanted in India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks carried out by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists. Eight locations in Mumbai were targeted by terrorists on 26 November 2008, which claimed the lives of over 174 people.
He also faces charges in India for providing logistical support to LeT. He was found guilty in the US for assisting the group, and India has long sought his extradition. He is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks.