26/11: Elusive Tahawwur Rana Evading NIA's Inquiry on Finances and ISI Links
Click to start listening
Synopsis
New Delhi, April 14 (NationPress) Architect of the Mumbai attacks, Tahawwur Rana, has been uncooperative regarding financial details and his ties with Pakistan’s ISI, as revealed by investigators. His prolonged questioning raises questions about his connections and operational strategies.
Key Takeaways
- Tahawwur Rana is not cooperating with financial inquiries.
- His connections with Pakistan’s ISI are under scrutiny.
- Rana documented his questioning in a personal diary.
- His ties with David Coleman Headley are significant.
- The NIA is investigating extensive planning by LeT.
New Delhi, April 14 (NationPress) The architect behind the Mumbai attacks, Tahawwur Rana, has been evasive regarding the financial details of his operations and his connections with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), according to investigators on Monday.
During an extensive questioning session lasting over 10 hours, interspersed with meals and medical evaluations, NIA investigators interrogated Rana, 64, concerning his travel and immigration business based in Chicago.
He was also probed about the significant increase in his phone communications with his accomplice, David Coleman Headley, also known as Daood Gilani, a US citizen currently imprisoned in the United States, around the time of the November 26, 2008, assault.
Sources indicate that Rana may be documenting questions posed to him and his responses in a personal diary, which he requested through a motion in the Special NIA court, likely to ensure consistency in his responses during his 18-day interrogation.
On several matters, Rana, a former officer in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps, has claimed he cannot recall details related to the 17-year-old incident.
In the months leading up to 26/11, Headley had established a Mumbai office that served as a facade to identify targets for the attacks. He reportedly utilized satellite geotagging to pinpoint locations and relayed this information to the handlers of the 10 LeT militants.
NIA investigators are focused on obtaining information from Rana about the extensive groundwork and planning executed by LeT and ISI over three years leading up to the Mumbai attacks, which began on November 26, 2008, and continued until November 29, resulting in 166 fatalities, including six US citizens.
He is being questioned about individuals whose names emerged in intercepted communications involving the terrorists, their handlers, and certain ISI officials. This roster includes Major Iqbal, also known as Major Samir Ali.
Additional names mentioned in recorded intercepts include those referred to as Pasha, Nana, Wasi, and Tayya.
Investigators are also seeking Rana's insight into the roles played by operatives from LeT and Harkat-ul Jihadi Islami (HuJI), including Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed, Sajjid Majid, Illyas Kashmiri, and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.
