Is Tahawwur Rana Facing Justice for the 26/11 Attacks?

New Delhi, May 9 (NationPress) A Special NIA Court has ordered that Tahawwur Rana, an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, be held in judicial custody until June 6. This decision follows a pause in the questioning by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

On May 3, the NIA gathered voice and handwriting samples from Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian national, in preparation for comparing them with recordings of his phone conversations with David Coleman Headley, another accused in the case, according to an official source.

Rana, recently extradited from the United States, is believed to have provided Headley with handwritten notes containing vital instructions, coordinates, and maps that were used to identify targets for the 26/11 attacks.

The NIA is also planning to take Rana to Mumbai and other locations to reconstruct the sequence of events leading up to the attack, which resulted in the deaths of 166 individuals.

Last month, the Special NIA Court extended Rana's custody for an additional 12 days to facilitate further questioning by investigators.

Special Judge Charan Jit Singh approved Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan’s request for more time to explore Rana’s involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Following the conclusion of his 18-day remand on April 28, Rana was presented in court for a custody extension.

During the proceedings, the NIA informed the court about Rana's alleged evasive tactics during the interrogation.

The court previously mandated the NIA to conduct a medical check on Rana every 24 hours and allowed him to confer with his legal representatives every other day.

While in NIA custody, Rana was also interrogated by officers from the Mumbai Police. He asserted that he had “no connection whatsoever” with the planning or execution of the attacks.

He further claimed that his childhood friend, Headley, was solely responsible for the reconnaissance and planning for the 26/11 operation. Headley is currently incarcerated in a US prison.

Headley, who has turned approver in this case, previously admitted to conducting reconnaissance missions throughout India, including Mumbai, on behalf of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

During questioning, Rana mentioned that he had also traveled to Kerala in addition to Mumbai and Delhi. When asked about his visit to Kerala, he claimed it was to meet an acquaintance, providing the agency with the individual’s name and address.

Rana, a former member of the Pakistan Army’s Medical Corps, was extradited to India from the US to face trial concerning the Mumbai attack.