Trump announces extradition of 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana: ‘One of the very evil people of the world’

On January 21, the US Supreme Court had rejected Rana’s review petition in the case.

Trump also announced that India and the US will work together like “never before” to confront the threat of radical Islamic terror across the world.

Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, is currently lodged at a metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles. He is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks.

“He is going to be going back to India to face justice,” Trump said. “We’re giving him back to India immediately and more such extraditions could follow as we have quite a few requests (from New Delhi).”

Responding to this, Modi said: “I am thankful to the President that he has decided to hand over the culprit who committed the killings in India in 2008 to India now. Indian courts will now take appropriate action.”

Later, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said India is working on the logistics of Rana’s surrender and extradition from the US. “There are a few final steps to be completed. The two sides are in touch on this particular issue,” he said.

The India-US joint statement issued during the Prime Minister’s visit to the US said that Modi and Trump reaffirmed that the global scourge of terrorism must be fought and terrorist safe havens eliminated from every corner of the world.

“They committed to strengthen cooperation against terrorist threats from groups, including Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Jaish-e Mohammad, and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba in order to prevent heinous acts like the attacks in Mumbai on 26/11 and the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021,” read the joint statement.

“Recognising a shared desire to bring to justice those who would harm our citizens, the US announced that the extradition to India of Tahawwur Rana has been approved,” it said.

The leaders called on Pakistan to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai and Pathankot attacks and ensure that its territory is not used to carry out cross-border terrorist strikes.

“The leaders also pledged to work together to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems and to deny access to such weapons by terrorists and non-state actors,” the joint statement said.

Last month, India said it was working with American authorities for the early extradition of Rana.

“The US Supreme Court on January 21 declined to hear a petition from the accused. We are now working with the US side on procedural issues for early extradition to India of the accused in the Mumbai terror attack,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said.