A US court order has denied the writ of habeas corpus filed by Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, paving the way for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to issue a certification for him to be extradited to India where he is facing a trial for his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. However, Rana has filed an appeal against the order and sought a stay on his extradition to India till the time his appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court is heard.
US state department on Thursday declined to comment on whether Secretary Blinken has received a letter from Rana’s lawyer asking to deny surrender certification. State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said that the extradition process of Tahawwur Rana is a “pending matter”.
When pressed again, Patel said Washington is committed to confronting terrorism across the world and continues to call for those involved in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks to be brought to justice.
“So this…as you so note, is a pending extradition matter. And so, given the fact that it is pending, I don’t have any specific comment to offer…I’m just not going to comment on a pending extradition matter. I’m sure the Department of Justice can outline the specific steps that are required in an extradition matter,” Vedant Patel said during a State Department briefing.
“What I can say is that we are committed to confronting terrorism across the world and we continue to call for those involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks to be brought to justice,” Patel added.
Rana was arrested in the US on an extradition request by India for his role in the Mumbai attacks in which Pakistan-based terrorists killed over 160 people, including six Americans.
Indian authorities allege that Rana conspired with his childhood friend David Coleman Headley to assist the Pakistani terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba in orchestrating the attacks.
(With inputs from agencies)
