Special cell in Tihar ready for Tahawwur Hussain Rana

NEW DELHI: A special flight from the US heading to Delhi carrying Pakistani-origin Tahawwur Hussain Rana, convicted in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack plot, will reach IGI airport on Thursday afternoon. He is expected to appear in court and then be shifted to Tihar Jail. A separate cell has been made ready for the terrorist convict.

Last month, the US Supreme Court dismissed a plea filed by Rana seeking a stay on his extradition to India. A similar petition submitted by Rana in March was also rejected by the court.

Tahawwur Rana, a businessman with Canadian citizenship and originally from Pakistan, argued in his petition that his life would be at risk in India and he suffers from health issues, including Parkinson’s disease and cancer. A former doctor in the Pakistani Army, Rana is being extradited under the U.S.-India Extradition Treaty. India had earlier submitted strong evidence to the US government proving his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. In February, former U.S. President Donald Trump also approved Rana's extradition to India.

The 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008 claimed the lives of 166 people. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had filed a chargesheet against Rana, identifying him as the one who provided crucial support to American national David Coleman Headley in planning the attacks. The NIA also linked him to a terror plot in Denmark and to aiding Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists. In 2013, a Chicago court sentenced him to 14 years in prison for his involvement. Rana had been held at a federal detention facility in Los Angeles.