Soon after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks shook India, Tahawwur Rana allegedly praised the attackers in a chilling conversation with co-conspirator David Coleman Headley, calling for Pakistan’s highest gallantry award to be conferred upon them. According to a detailed report by the United States Department of Justice, Tahawwur Rana not only glorified the killings but also helped orchestrate them by providing Headley with a false identity and a business front to carry out surveillance of potential targets in Mumbai.
The US Justice Department document cites an intercepted conversation between Tahawwur Rana and Headley, where Tahawwur Rana allegedly said that the terrorists behind the Mumbai attacks deserved “Nishan-e-Haider”—Pakistan’s highest military honor. He reportedly remarked that Indians “deserved” what happened. This conversation took place shortly after ten Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists carried out coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, resulting in the deaths of 166 people, including six Americans.
Tahawwur Rana’s Connection with Headley and LeT
The report notes that Tahawwur Rana, a former Pakistan Army medical corps officer who later migrated to Canada and then to the United States, used his immigration business in Chicago to provide cover to his childhood friend Headley. Despite Headley having no background in immigration services, Tahawwur Rana allegedly appointed him as the manager of a new Mumbai office to allow him freedom of movement in India. Headley, who was acting on orders from Pakistan-based LeT operatives, surveyed key Mumbai sites that were later targeted, including the Taj Mahal Hotel, Oberoi Hotel, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Leopold Cafe, and Chabad House.
Tahawwur Rana is also accused of aiding Headley in securing a ten-year Indian visa and submitting fraudulent documents to support the opening of the Mumbai office. The two reportedly exchanged over 230 calls during this period. The NIA charge sheet further states that Tahawwur Rana remained in contact with another co-conspirator, ‘Major Iqbal’, and even visited India just days before the attacks. During his visit, he stayed at a hotel in Powai and discussed crowded locations in South Mumbai with a person who is now listed as a witness.
NIA Takes Custody Following Extradition
After years of legal battle, Tahawwur Tahawwur Rana was extradited from the US to India and formally arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi. He faces multiple charges including conspiracy, murder, and aiding a terrorist act. The NIA is now interrogating him in a high-security facility in connection with his role in one of the deadliest terror attacks in India’s history.
