India's National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval is overseeing the extradition and transfer of terrorist Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian accused of involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks (26/11), which resulted in the deaths of 166 people.

Rana has been extradited from the United States following a protracted legal battle that culminated in the US Supreme Court rejecting his petition to block extradition earlier this year.

Rana, who had been serving a 14-year sentence in the US for plotting a terrorist attack on a Danish newspaper, is accused of aiding his childhood friend David Coleman Headley in scouting targets for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) during the Mumbai attacks.

Tahawwur Hussain Rana, born on January 12, 1961, in Chichawatni, Pakistan, is a former military doctor and Pakistani-Canadian businessman. Rana served as a captain in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps before immigrating to Canada in 1997. After obtaining Canadian citizenship in 2001, he established various businesses, including an immigration consultancy and a halal slaughterhouse.

He lived a low-profile life in Chicago but maintained connections with his childhood friend David Coleman Headley (formerly Daood Gilani), a key conspirator in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Rana was implicated in terrorism-related activities, including providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and conspiring to attack the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. Although he travelled to Mumbai and stayed at the Taj Hotel before the 26/11 attacks, he claimed it was for business purposes. Evidence suggested otherwise, linking him to the plot indirectly.

In 2011, Rana was convicted by a U.S. federal jury for supporting terrorism but acquitted of direct charges related to the Mumbai attacks. He was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment.

David Headley, born Daood Sayed Gilani in Washington D.C. in 1960, played a central role in the Mumbai attacks by conducting surveillance for LeT and receiving training from both LeT and Pakistan’s ISI. He pleaded guilty in 2010 and cooperated extensively with U.S. authorities to avoid extradition and the death penalty. Headley was sentenced to 35 years in prison but remains protected from extradition to India, Pakistan, or Denmark under his plea agreement.

After years of legal proceedings, the U.S. Supreme Court recently approved Rana's extradition to India for prosecution related to his alleged involvement in the Mumbai attacks. He is currently held in Los Angeles awaiting transfer.

While he was acquitted by a US court of direct involvement in the attacks, India has long sought his extradition, believing him to be a key conspirator with extensive knowledge of Pakistan's role in the attacks.

A multi-agency Indian team, including officials from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), facilitated Rana's transfer aboard a chartered flight.

He is expected to arrive in India by Thursday morning and will be interrogated at an undisclosed location under heightened security. Preparations have been made to house him in either Tihar Jail or a secure facility in Mumbai.

This extradition marks a significant diplomatic and counter-terrorism victory for India, showcasing its rising global stature and ability to negotiate with international partners like the US.

It also underscores India's persistent efforts to hold perpetrators of the 26/11 attacks accountable.

Agencies