Who Is Tahawwur Rana, Pakistani-Canadian National Chargesheeted In 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attack After 15 Yrs

In October 2009, Rana and Headly were arrested in the US for allegedly planning to attack the office of a Danish newspaper which published controversial cartoons of Prophet Mohammed.

Written by: Analiza Pathak Edited by: Analiza Pathak

Updated: September 26, 2023, 10:16 AM IST

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https://www.india.com/news/india/who-is-tahawwur-rana-pakistani-canadian-national-chargesheeted-in-26-11-mumbai-terror-attack-after-15-yrs-6355926/ Copy

Who Is Tahawwur Rana, Pakistani-Canadian National Chargesheeted In 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attack After 15 Yrs

Mumbai:  The Mumbai Police have filed over 400-page charge sheet against Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana accused of involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack. In the supplementary chargesheet, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch informed that he was staying in a five-star hotel in the city before the terror attacks took place.

According to the 405-page chargesheet filed on Monday, Rana had booked the hotel room in his own name from November 11 to November 21, 2008. While the India visit of David Headley, one of the main conspirators, was documented, police had not obtained concrete evidence of Rana’s stay in the city so far, a report in The Indian Express said. “In the chargesheet, police have provided details like a scanned copy of his passport and other documentation that Rana had provided to the hotel in Powai, where he stayed between November 11-21, to prove that he left the country five days before the attacks,” said a senior police officer to the publication.

According to sources, the chargesheet is expected to be reviewed by the special court on Tuesday, following the verification process. A government lawyer, as reported by PTI, confirmed this development. “We have obtained fresh evidence against Rana in the form of statements and documents,” revealed a senior police officer to PTI, highlighting that this is the fourth chargesheet related to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Who Is Tahawwur Rana

• Rana, 62, has been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Indian Penal Code and Explosives Act among others.
• A friend of David Headley since childhood, he studied together with Headley for five years at the Hasan Abdal Cadet School in Pakistan.
• He is the person who helped Headley get an Indian tourist visa on fake documents. Rana also allegedly provided logistical support to the Lashkar-e-Taiba for the 26/11 attacks.
• Both Rana and Headley had travelled together from New York to Pakistan and from Dubai to Pakistan in the days preceding the Mumbai terror attack.
• This is the fourth supplementary charge sheet in the ongoing 2008 case but the first against Tahawwur Rana. In October 2009, Rana and Headly were arrested in the US for allegedly planning to attack the office of a Danish newspaper which published controversial cartoons of Prophet Mohammed.
• Headley had in 2005 received instructions from his Lashkar handlers to travel to India to conduct surveillance of potential terror targets. The following year, he changed his name from Sayed Daood Salim Gilani to David Coleman Headley in Philadelphia to facilitate his activities on behalf of Lashkar by portraying himself as an American who was neither Muslim nor of Pakistani-origin.
• Rana, who owned First World Immigration Services in Chicago and elsewhere, opened a branch in Mumbai as a cover for his activities. Rana allegedly advised Headley on how to obtain a visa for travel to India on fake documents.
• Rana, a former medical officer in the Pakistani army, migrated to Canada in 1990 where he became a citizen before moving to Chicago. As per US law, if he is not extradited to India, he will be deported to his home country Canada after the completion of his prison term in 2027.

On the night of November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistani terrorists entered Mumbai through the sea route and went on a rampage. They attacked some of Mumbai’s landmarks, including CSMT, hotel Taj Mahal Palace, Trident Hotel and Chhbad House, among others, killing 166 people, including over a dozen foreign nationals. During the 60-hour operation, the NSG and other security agencies killed nine terrorists while one, Ajmal Kasab, was captured alive.