The Joe Biden administration in the United States has appealed to a court in California to deny the writ petition filed by terrorist Tahawwur Rana challenging his extradition to India. Rana is a Pakistani terrorist wanted by Indian agencies for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
The US govt has urged the court to deny the writ of habeas corpus filed by Rana’s lawyers. This comes about a month after a US court approved Rana’s extradition to India. Tahawwur Rana is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Los Angeles.
“The United States respectfully requests that the Court deny Rana’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus,” said E Martin Estrada, US attorney for the Central District of California in his petition filed before the US District Court for the Central District of California.
Estrada said that Rana is unable to prove that India’s extradition request lacks sufficient evidence of probable cause. The statement came after Rana filed a petition challenging the extradition.
In July 2021, the United States administration requested a federal court in Los Angeles to extradite Pakistani-origin Canadian terrorist Tahawwur Rana to India.
Rana, who has been in US jail for more than a decade for supporting terrorist groups and plotting Mumbai attacks, faces extradition to India on murder conspiracy charges.
He was earlier convicted of his role in the Mumbai terror attacks, but US prosecutors had failed to prove a terrorism charge connecting him directly to the attacks.
However, Rana was granted early release from a Los Angeles federal prison because of poor health and amidst the coronavirus scare. The Pakistani-born terrorist was arrested again on June 10, 2020, in Los Angeles following an extradition request by India.
Rana committed fraud against the Indian govt by creating forged documents: US
The submissions to the court by the Biden administration in July 2021 said that based on the evidence submitted by India, Tahawwur Rana committed fraud against the Indian government through the creation and submission of forged documents. The purpose behind such fraud is irrelevant under the Indian criminal provisions, the document said.
“In any event, Rana knowingly allowed Headley to obtain the business visa and the cover that he needed to conduct terrorism-related surveillance operations in India, ultimately leading to the three-day terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Accordingly, the Court finds there is probable cause that RANA conspired to forge a document for cheating and use a forged document as genuine, in violation of IPC 120B, 468, and 471,” the submission said.