US SC denies stay on extradition of 26/11 attack suspect Tahawwur Rana

Tahawwur Rana, a suspect in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, is one step closer to being handed over to Indian authorities to face justice after the US Supreme Court rejected his latest request for a stay on his extradition to India.

The attacks, which began on Nov 26, 2008, lasted three days and targeted hotels, a train station, and a Jewish center in Mumbai, killing 166 people.

India claims that the attacks were planned by Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist group based in Pakistan, though the Pakistani government denies any involvement.

Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian citizen based in Chicago, was found guilty in 2011 and sentenced to 13 years in prison. He is currently held at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center.

At 64 years old, Rana is linked to David Coleman Headley, a Pakistani-American terrorist and key conspirator in the 26/11 attacks.

Headley, posing as an employee of Rana’s immigration agency, conducted reconnaissance in Mumbai prior to the attacks.

In the United States, Rana faced charges of conspiracy to provide material assistance to a terrorist plot in Denmark and of providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based group responsible for the Mumbai attacks.

On Feb 27, Rana filed an "Emergency Application for Stay Pending Litigation of Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus" with Elena Kagan, the Ninth Circuit Circuit Justice and Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court.

This request was rejected by the judge earlier last month. Subsequently, Rana renewed his application, asking that Chief Justice Roberts address his petition instead.

In February of this year, President Donald Trump announced that his administration had authorized the extradition of Rana, calling him "one of the very evil people of the world" involved in the horrific 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Speaking alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House, Trump confirmed that Rana would be sent to India to face justice.

"I am pleased to announce that my administration has approved the extradition of one of the plotters 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," Trump said. "So, he will be going back to India to face justice."