Mumbai terror attacks: US court approves extradition of accused Tahawwur Rana to India

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled state visit to the US, a federal court in the United States has agreed to extradite Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian businessman of Pakistani-origin, to India, where he is sought for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

US Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Chooljian of the District Court of the Central District of California issued a 48-page order on Wednesday, saying Rana "should be extradited to India". 

There is an extradition treaty in place between India and the United States. The judge ruled that Rana's extradition to India is fully under the jurisdiction of the treaty.

"The court has reviewed and considered all of the documents submitted in support of and in opposition to the request, and has considered the arguments presented at the hearing. Based on such review and consideration and for the reasons discussed herein, the court makes the findings set forth below, and CERTIFIES to the Secretary of State of the United States the extraditability of Rana on the charged offences that are the subject of the request," the order said, as per PTI.

As many as 166 people, including six Americans, were killed in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, during the attacks by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who entered the city via sea route from Pakistan.

On June 10, 2020, India had filed a complaint seeking the provisional arrest of Rana for the purpose of extradition. The Biden administration had supported and approved the extradition of Rana to India.

The order states that for the court to certify Rana as extraditable, the government must establish that "(1) the extradition judge has jurisdiction to conduct proceedings, (2) the extradition court has jurisdiction over the fugitive, (3) the extradition treaty is in full force and effect, (4) the crime falls within the terms of the treaty and (5) there is competent legal evidence to support a finding of extraditability".

The judge said that sufficient competent evidence has been presented to establish probable cause that Rana is the individual who has been charged in India and whose extradition has been sought by India in this action, and that Rana committed the aforementioned offences for which extradition has been sought.

(With PTI inputs)

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