Pakistani terrorist Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian national and an accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has filed a petition with the US Supreme Court to block his extradition to India. This legal move comes after he lost multiple appeals in lower courts, including a recent denial by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on September 23, 2024, which rejected his request for a stay on extradition proceedings.

Rana's petition argues that extraditing him would violate the principle of double jeopardy, as he was previously acquitted in a federal court in Chicago on charges related to the same incidents. He contends that India is seeking to prosecute him for charges based on identical conduct already adjudicated in the US. Furthermore, he raises concerns about the potential for a death sentence if convicted in India, highlighting the serious implications of his extradition.

The Mumbai attacks, carried out by ten terrorists associated with the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), resulted in 166 deaths, including six Americans. Rana is linked to David Coleman Headley, another key figure in the attacks, and is accused of aiding Headley's operations that facilitated the planning of these attacks.

Rana's legal team has emphasized that this petition represents his last chance to avoid extradition. If the Supreme Court declines to hear his case, preparations for his extradition could proceed swiftly, potentially occurring by December 2024.