Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian businessman of Pakistani origin, had requested a writ of habeas corpus; however, a US court dismissed it. This opened the way for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to certify Tahawwur Rana’s extradition to India, where he will stand trial for his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Rana, however, has appealed the decision and asked that his extradition to India be halted until his appeal is considered by the Ninth Circuit Court.
On Thursday, the US State Department declined to respond when asked if Secretary Blinken had received a letter from Rana’s lawyer requesting that the surrender certification be denied. Vedant Patel, the principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department, stated that Tahawwur Rana’s extradition is a “pending matter.”
When pressed further, Patel stated that Washington is dedicated to combating terrorism on a global scale and that the 26/11 Mumbai attacks’ perpetrators should continue to be held accountable.
“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.
Due to his involvement in the Mumbai attacks, wherein Pakistan-based terrorists killed over 160 people, including six Americans, Rana was apprehended in the US on an extradition request by India.
Authorities in India claim that Rana and David Coleman Headley, a childhood acquaintance, planned the assaults together with the help of the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
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