United States President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the extradition of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana to India and said he will face justice. He made the announcement during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi following their bilateral meeting.

Trump said, “I am pleased to announce that my administration has approved the extradition of one of the plotters (Tahawwur Rana) and one of the very evil people of the world, having to do with the horrific 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack to face justice in India. He is going back to India to face justice,” Trump said.

Who Is Tahawwur Rana?

Pakistani-origin businessman and physician Tahawwur Hussain Rana was convicted for his role in the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai. Rana’s co-conspirators included David Headley, who pleaded guilty and cooperated against Rana. He was born in 1961 in Pakistan[A1] . He moved to Canada after gaining citizenship and became an immigration service businessman. He completed his education from the Cadet College Hasan Abdal, a military residential college in Pakistan. Rana served as a captain general duty practitioner in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps. Rana was charged and arrested on 18 October 2009 for plotting attacks on the offices of Jyllands-Posten. Rana was sentenced to 14 years in prison in January 2013.

On January 21, the US Supreme Court denied a petition for a writ of certiorari filed by Rana, seeking to prevent his extradition to India. The petition, filed in November 2024, was against an earlier order of a lower court that had ruled in favour of his extradition. A writ of certiorari is a legal document that allows a higher court to review a case from a lower court.

The 26/11 attacks resulted in the death of 174 people, including 20 security personnel and 26 foreigners, and over 300 others were injured in the horrific attacks that took place at Mumbai’s Taj Hotel on November 26, 2008. During the subsequent investigation, it was revealed that Rana had traveled to Mumbai and stayed at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, one of the locations targeted by terrorists during the November 2008 attacks, for over four days. His trial began on May 16, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois.

In his remarks, President Trump lauded the “special bond” between the US and India, he said that both nations are also announcing the framework to further strengthen the ties.

“I am thrilled to welcome PM Modi at the White House. We spend a lot of time here and also in India. We travelled to your beautiful country 5 years ago… It was an incredible period of time. There is a special bond between the US and India – the world’s oldest and largest democracies in the world. Today, the PM and I are announcing the framework to strengthen the ties further,” Trump said.