The United States government has urged the Supreme Court to dismiss a petition filed by Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin and a convict in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, seeking to avoid extradition to India. India has requested Rana’s extradition for his alleged involvement in the attacks, which killed 166 people, including six Americans.
Rana, currently held in a Los Angeles jail, faces charges for his role in aiding the attacks. He is known to have collaborated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, a key conspirator in the 26/11 attacks. Headley provided critical reconnaissance for the assault, which involved a 60-hour siege by 10 Pakistani terrorists targeting iconic and vital locations across Mumbai.
After losing multiple legal battles in lower and federal courts, including the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, Rana filed a “petition for a writ of certiorari” before the US Supreme Court on November 13, marking his final legal attempt to avoid extradition.
In a submission filed on December 16, US Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar argued that the Supreme Court should deny Rana’s petition. “The petition for a writ of certiorari should be denied,” Prelogar stated in a detailed 20-page argument, asserting that Rana has no legal grounds for relief from extradition.
Rana’s plea argued that he was tried and acquitted in the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago) on charges related to the Mumbai attacks and claimed that India is seeking extradition on the same charges. However, Prelogar disagreed, stating that the charges India is pursuing are not entirely identical to those addressed in the US. She cited India’s forgery charges, which include Rana’s use of false information in an application to open a branch office of the Immigration Law Centre with the Reserve Bank of India, as an example of conduct not prosecuted in the US.
Prelogar also highlighted the ambiguity of the jury’s verdict in Rana’s Chicago case, noting that it does not definitively cover all the specific conduct for which India is seeking prosecution.
The Mumbai terror attacks remain one of the deadliest terrorist incidents in India, with widespread international ramifications. The siege targeted prominent locations such as the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, and Nariman House, among others, leaving a trail of devastation.
The Supreme Court’s decision on this petition will determine whether Rana will face trial in India, where authorities are keen to hold him accountable for his alleged role in the 26/11 attacks.
