26/11 Plot To ISI Link: What NIA May Ask Tahawwur Rana As It Grills Mumbai Attack Mastermind Today

National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrests Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the key conspirator in the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, immediately after his arrival at IGIA , following his successful extradition from the United States. (Photo: IANS)

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is set to begin questioning Tahawwur Rana, a key plotter of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, on Friday following his successful extradition after nearly 17 years since the carnage jolted the financial capital.

Rana, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind, landed in India on Thursday hours after which he was taken into custody by the anti-terror agency on the orders of the Special Court in New Delhi. The questioning may begin around 10 a.m. at the agency's headquarters, news agency IANS reported, citing sources. During the interrogation, the agency will grill him with questions related to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, his association with David Coleman Headley, and his alleged links with Pakistan's intelligence agency - the ISI.

The IANS sources also revealed that during the interrogation, it is likely that he will be quizzed about his stays in India and all those he came in contact with. It is excepted that he may reveal his links in the country. Rana will remain in NIA custody for 18 days.

The NIA, in a press release on Friday, said, "...The agency will question him in detail to unravel the complete conspiracy behind the deadly 2008 attacks, in which a total of 166 persons were killed and over 238 injured."

NIA said it had secured Rana's extradition from the US following years of sustained efforts and after the terror mastermind's last-ditch efforts to get a stay on his extradition from the US failed. Rana was brought to the national capital, escorted by teams of NSG and NIA, comprising senior officials, on a special plane from Los Angeles, US. The extradition finally came through after Rana's various litigations and appeals, including an emergency application before the US Supreme Court, were rejected.

"With the coordinated efforts of India's Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs, along with the relevant authorities in the United States, the surrender warrant for the wanted terrorist was eventually secured, and the extradition was carried out," said the anti-terror agency in its media release which was posted on its X handle on Friday.

The NIA acknowledged the “active assistance” of several American institutions. The agency said it had worked closely with its counterparts in the FBI, including the US Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs (USDoJ), the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, and other agencies through the entire extradition process.

It said this "marked a major step in India's efforts to bring individuals involved in terrorism to justice, irrespective of which part of the world they had fled to." US Marshals in the Central District of California on Tuesday transferred custody of Rana to representatives from India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

Rana, who is a Pakistani national and Canadian citizen, is now in NIA custody for 18 days, during which time the agency will question him in detail in order to unravel the complete conspiracy behind the deadly 2008 attacks, in which a total of 166 persons were killed and over 238 injured.

(With agency Inputs)