A US court has approved the extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian businessman, to India in connection with the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The ruling came from the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which upheld a lower court’s decision to deny Rana’s habeas corpus petition. Rana, who is currently in custody in Los Angeles, faces charges related to his alleged role in the attacks that claimed 166 lives.
The panel of judges found that Rana’s alleged offenses fall within the terms of the extradition treaty between the US and India. The treaty includes a Non Bis in Idem (double jeopardy) exception, which prevents extradition if the individual has already been convicted or acquitted for the same offense in the requesting state. However, the court ruled that this exception did not apply to Rana’s case as the charges in India differ from those for which he was acquitted in the US.
Rana, who has ties to Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, challenged his extradition based on this exception. The court rejected his argument, stating that India had provided sufficient evidence to support the charges against him. The ruling has now paved the way for his potential extradition to face trial in India.
Rana was previously convicted in the US for providing material support to a terrorist organization and was acquitted of charges related to the Mumbai attacks. Following his release from a seven-year prison term, India requested his extradition to face charges related to the 2008 attacks. Rana’s legal options to avoid extradition remain, as he may still appeal this ruling.
