Tahawwur Hussain Rana, one of the accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, has landed in India after being extradited from the United States, ANI reported. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) confirmed that Rana's extradition was the result of years of persistent efforts to ensure he faces justice in India.

Rana had been held in judicial custody in the US while extradition proceedings took place under the India-US Extradition Treaty. The NIA stated that the extradition was carried out after he had exhausted all legal options to prevent it.

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His extradition was approved by the District Court for the Central District of California on May 16, 2023. Following this, Rana filed several appeals with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, all of which were dismissed. He then approached the US Supreme Court with a petition for a writ of certiorari, two habeas corpus petitions, and an emergency application — all of which were denied as well, the NIA said.

The extradition process between the two nations began after India obtained a surrender warrant from the US government for the wanted terrorist. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in close coordination with US authorities– including the Department of Justice and the US Sky Marshal– played a key role in the case. 

The NIA said it collaborated with Indian intelligence agencies and the National Security Guard (NSG). Both the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs in India worked with their US counterparts throughout the process to ensure its successful completion.

Rana will now be taken to the NIA headquarters. He is likely to be shifted to Tihar Jail after all formalities.

The BJP has hailed Rana’s successful extradition, asserting that PM Modi upheld a zero-tolerance resolve towards terrorism. The saffron party also accused the Congress of being soft on terror for "vote-bank politics".

Rana, 64, is a close associate of David Coleman Headley, also known as Daood Gilani and is one of the main conspirators in the 2008 attacks. The Mumbai terror attacks on November 26, 2008 involved 10 Pakistani terrorists who carried out coordinated strikes at multiple locations -- including a railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre -- after arriving in Mumbai via the Arabian Sea.

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As many as 166 people were killed in the nearly 60-hour assault that sent shockwaves across the country and even brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.