NIA begins grilling Tahawwur Rana
Rana was produced before a special NIA court after his formal arrest on arrival at Delhi airport on Thursday, following his successful extradition from US
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has begun questioning of Mumbai attacks mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana to unravel the larger conspiracy behind the deadly terror strikes of 2008, official sources said. The investigation is being led by NIA’s Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Jaya Roy, who is also the Chief Investigating Officer, they said.
Also read: How Indian security officials paved way for 26/11 accused Rana's extradition
Rana was brought to the NIA headquarters early Friday morning after a Delhi court granted 18-day custody to the probe agency, following his extradition from the US.
Focus on possible LeT link
Rana is being kept in a highly-secured cell, inside the anti-terror agency's head office at CGO complex in New Delhi, being guarded by security personnel round the clock, the sources said.
A 24x7 surveillance is being maintained and Rana has been provided with basic necessities like food and meals among others, they said.
“Rana will remain in NIA custody for 18 days, during which time the agency will question him in detail in order to unravel the complete conspiracy behind the deadly 2008 attacks, in which a total of 166 persons were killed and over 238 injured,” said a statement issued by the probe agency soon after the court's order.
It is learnt that the interrogation is focused on getting more details on his possible connection with Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which had orchestrated the attacks.
Extradition and arrest
The anti-terror agency had produced Rana before the NIA Special Court at Patiala House after formally placing him under arrest on his arrival at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport on Thursday (April 10) evening, following his successful extradition from the US.
Also read: Tahawwur Rana's extradition big success of Modi govt: Amit Shah
The court on Friday sent Rana to 18-day NIA custody, following which he was brought from Patiala House courts complex to the NIA headquarters in a heavily-secured motorcade comprising Delhi Police's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and other security personnel.
Where is Rana being kept?
Rana will be kept in a highly secured cell inside the anti-terror agency's head office at CGO complex in Delhi, officials said.
"Rana will remain in NIA custody for 18 days, during which time the agency will question him in detail in order to unravel the complete conspiracy behind the deadly 2008 attacks, in which a total of 166 persons were killed and over 238 injured," said a statement issued by the probe agency soon after the court's order.
Also read: US SC rejects 26/11 attack accused Tahawwur Rana’s plea seeking stay on extradition to India
How NIA secured extradition
NIA had secured Rana's extradition from the US following years of sustained efforts, and after the terror mastermind's last-ditch efforts to get a stay on his extradition from the US failed.
Rana was brought to New Delhi Thursday evening, escorted by teams of NSG and NIA, comprising senior officials, on a special plane from Los Angeles.
The extradition finally came through after Rana's various litigations and appeals, including an emergency application before the US Supreme Court, were rejected.
Also read: Extradition from US: The 'conduct' vs 'elements' factor that worked against Rana
With the coordinated efforts of India's Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs, along with the relevant authorities in the United States, the surrender warrant for the wanted terrorist was eventually secured and the extradition was carried out, the statement said.
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Live Updates
- 11 April 2025 6:46 AM GMT
Rana had recommended gallantry awards for 26/11 attack terrorists, says US
The US Department of Justice has called the extradition of Rana a “critical step towards seeking justice” for the victims of the Mumbai 26/11 attacks. The department, in a statement said that Rana in a chat with co-conspirator David Coleman Headley, had suggested awards for the nine LeT terrorists who were killed while carrying out the attacks in Mumbai.
"In an intercepted conversation with Headley, Rana allegedly commended the nine LeT terrorists who had been killed committing the attacks, saying that "[t]hey should be given Nishan-e-Haider"-Pakistan's "highest award for gallantry in battle," which is reserved for fallen soldiers," the department said in a statement.
- 11 April 2025 5:56 AM GMT
Rana’s extradition big breakthrough, will reveal real plot of 26/11 attacks: Ajit Pawar
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has termed Tahawwur Hussain Rana’s extradition a major breakthrough and said it would help unravel the crucial details of the conspiracy behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, Pawar recalled being present in Mumbai during the 2008 attacks along with the then chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and home minister R R Patil.
“After the operation, we visited all the attack sites. A probe was launched to identify the masterminds. Now that this man (Rana) has been extradited to India, it will come to light who were behind the attacks, on whose orders he acted and what their objective was,” Pawar said.
- 11 April 2025 4:18 AM GMT
Pune | Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar says, "During the 26/11 attacks, we all were in Mumbai, it was a very serious incident. We tried to find who was the exact mastermind behind the incident ... Now, we have caught this person (Tahawwur Rana), and he can reveal who is the real… pic.twitter.com/BLnvGHVsLY
— ANI (@ANI) April 11, 2025 - 11 April 2025 3:50 AM GMT
‘Rana helped co-conspirator David Headley obtain Indian visa’
Tahawwur Rana had helped co-conspirator David Coleman Headley to obtain an Indian visa, a Mumbai police official familiar with the probe has said.
Rana had served in the Pakistan Army medical corps before emigrating to Canada in the late 1990s and started an immigration consultancy firm. He later moved to the US and set up an office in Chicago. Through his firm, Rana gave cover to Headley to carry out a reconnaissance mission in Mumbai prior to the November 2008 attacks and helped him get a ten-year visa extension, the police official said on Thursday (April 10).
During his stay in India, Headley used the front of running an immigration business and was in regular contact with Rana. Rana himself visited India in November 2008, days before the terror attack.
- 11 April 2025 3:49 AM GMT
Modi’s 14-year-old post slamming Rana’s acquittal goes viral
A 14-year-old X post of Prime Minister Modi, criticising the previous UPA government’s foreign policy over Rana’s acquittal by a US court then, has gone viral on social media.
A US court in 2011 had given Rana a clean chit on any direct role in helping plan the Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks, but had convicted him for supporting LeT, which orchestrated the massacre.
“US declaring Tahawwur Rana innocent in Mumbai attack has disgraced the sovereignty of India & it is a ‘major foreign policy setback’,” Modi had posted on X on June 10, 2011.
US declaring Tahawwur Rana innocent in Mumbai attack has disgraced the sovereignty of India & it is a “major foreign policy setback”
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 10, 2011 - 11 April 2025 3:13 AM GMT
#WATCH | Delhi | Morning visuals from NIA headquarters where 26/11 Mumbai attacks accused Tahawwur Rana was brought late in the night.
— ANI (@ANI) April 11, 2025
Rana will remain in NIA custody for 18 days, during which time the agency will question him in detail in order to unravel the complete… pic.twitter.com/YOSvZrTuO6 - 11 April 2025 2:35 AM GMT
26/11 attacks shocked the world; America supports India's pursuit of justice: US
The 26/11 terror attacks shocked the entire world and America has long supported India's efforts to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice, the US has said, as Pakistani-Canadian Tahawwur Hussain Rana was extradited to India to face justice for his involvement in the Mumbai carnage.
On April 9, the United States extradited Rana, 64, to India "to face justice for his role in planning the horrific 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks,” US Department of State Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Thursday.
'US-India will work together to fight terrorism'
“The United States has long supported India's efforts to ensure those responsible for these attacks are brought to justice, and as President Trump has said, the United States and India will continue to work together to combat the global scourge of terrorism,” she said.
Rana is in India’s “possession and we are very proud of that dynamic,” she said.
Bruce added that some people may not remember the attacks that resulted in the tragic loss of 166 lives, including six Americans, that shocked the entire world.
“I encourage you to look them up and to find out exactly how horrible this was in the importance of this situation today,” she said.
Earlier, a spokesperson for the US Department of Justice said in a statement to PTI that Rana’s extradition is a “critical step toward seeking justice” for the victims of the heinous attacks.
'Rana's extradition a critical step'
The DOJ spokesperson said that the US extradited the convicted terrorist and Pakistani-Canadian citizen to stand trial in India on 10 criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
“Rana’s extradition is a critical step toward seeking justice for the six Americans and scores of other victims who were killed in the heinous attacks,” the spokesperson said.
- 11 April 2025 2:06 AM GMT
#WATCH | 26/11 Mumbai attacks accused Tahawwur Rana sent to 18 days NIA custody: Delhi State Legal Sevices Authority Cousnsel for Tahawwur Rana says, "NIA sought 20 days of custody, and after a lot of deliberation, the court has given 18 days of custody. If NIA wants more time,… pic.twitter.com/2flfKSURnc
— ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2025
