The US Supreme Court has cleared the extradition of Mumbai attack convict Tahawwur Rana to India, dismissing his review petition against the conviction, reported news agency PTI. Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, is wanted in connection with the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
This ruling marks his final legal avenue to avoid extradition, after losing earlier battles in multiple federal courts, including the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco.
On November 13, Rana filed a "petition for a writ of certiorari" before the US Supreme Court. This was denied by the apex court on January 21, a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the American President.
"Petition DENIED," the Supreme Court said.
He is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.
Earlier, the US government argued that Rana’s petition for a writ of certiorari should be denied. US Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar made this case in her filing before the Supreme Court on December 16, asserting that Rana was not entitled to relief from extradition to India.
In his petition, Rana contended that he had already been tried and acquitted in a federal court in Illinois for charges related to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. He argued that India’s extradition request was based on the same conduct that was addressed in the Chicago case.
However, Prelogar disagreed, explaining that not all of the conduct India sought to prosecute had been covered in the US trial. Specifically, she noted that some of the charges, such as India’s forgery accusations related to Rana’s use of false information in an application to open a branch office of the Immigration Law Center, were not part of the US case.
Prelogar also pointed out that the jury’s verdict in the US trial, which involved conspiracy charges, was unclear in terms of addressing all the specific actions India had charged.
Rana is linked to Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, a key conspirator in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. The attacks, which resulted in 166 deaths, including six Americans, involved a more than 60-hour siege by 10 Pakistani terrorists targeting key locations across Mumbai.
With inputs from PTI
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On November 13, Rana filed a "petition for a writ of certiorari" before the US Supreme Court. This was denied by the apex court on January 21, a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the American President.
"Petition DENIED," the Supreme Court said.
He is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.
Earlier, the US government argued that Rana’s petition for a writ of certiorari should be denied. US Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar made this case in her filing before the Supreme Court on December 16, asserting that Rana was not entitled to relief from extradition to India.
In his petition, Rana contended that he had already been tried and acquitted in a federal court in Illinois for charges related to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. He argued that India’s extradition request was based on the same conduct that was addressed in the Chicago case.
However, Prelogar disagreed, explaining that not all of the conduct India sought to prosecute had been covered in the US trial. Specifically, she noted that some of the charges, such as India’s forgery accusations related to Rana’s use of false information in an application to open a branch office of the Immigration Law Center, were not part of the US case.
Prelogar also pointed out that the jury’s verdict in the US trial, which involved conspiracy charges, was unclear in terms of addressing all the specific actions India had charged.
Rana is linked to Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, a key conspirator in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. The attacks, which resulted in 166 deaths, including six Americans, involved a more than 60-hour siege by 10 Pakistani terrorists targeting key locations across Mumbai.
With inputs from PTI
