Tahawwur Rana brought to India- How Mumbai terror attack happened: When Mumbai terror attack unfolded in 2008, the magnitude and planning behind it became apparent only days later. The 26/11 attack, referring to the date of 26 November, was not a single attack but a days-long, well-planned and coordinated terrorist 'event' by 10 young men well-trained, indoctrinated, and handled from Pakistan. The Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar e Taiba (LeT)  designed the attack in order to shake India to the core. From the ashes of that dastardly attack emerged India's National Investigation Agency or NIA. Further investigations into the 2008 Mumbai terror attack led to the death sentence for Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist caught alive. Tahawwur Rana, one of the masterminds of the attack, has been brought back from the US to India on Thursday (Apr 10) as I write this, to face the weight of Indian justice after evading it for nearly two decades.

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Rana's return is part of India's new, more muscular approach to terrorism

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Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian doctor, has pulled all stops to evade extradition to India. India vehemently pursued its case, till the US Supreme Court finally rejected all his desperate pleas, and he was put on a plane to Delhi.

Tahawwur Rana, key plotter in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case lands in India

Rana's extradition is one of the final chapters in the sense of closure for India in dealing with perhaps the most dramatic terrorist attacks on its soil. 

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For those who don't remember, it's important to know what happened in Mumbai on those fateful days.

Because India should never forget.

How the Mumbai terror attacks unfolded

The Mumbai terror attack lasted four days from 26 to 29 November 2008, and consisted of at least 12 shootings, bombings, wayside murders and hostage-taking. Sites that came under attack included Leopold Café, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Oberoi Trident, Cama Hospital, Nariman House (also known as Chabad House housing a Jewish centre), Metro Cinema and St Xavier's College. All these were located along the seashore of Mumbai. At the end of the blood-curdling events, at least 175 people lay dead, including nine out of the 10 terrorists. Some of the 300 people who were injured suffered life-long damage.

On the night of November 26, the first reports emerged of random shootings by two terrorists at the Victoria Terminus railway station (later renamed Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus). 

The choice of venue was not accidental. The station is pretty close to the seaside, where Gateway of India is located facing the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, which was the main site of the terrorist mayhem for the next three days. It was teeming with foreign dignitaries, including European parliamentarians, at the time of the attack.

Sebastian D'Souza, a photo journalist who happened to be at the railway station, captured the first images of Ajmal Kasab, the terrorist who was shooting away at innocent passengers. Kasab, a Pakistani, would be hanged in 2012. 

Tahawwur Rana: Pakistan distances itself from 26/11 terror attack accused, says 'very clear' he's Canadian. Exploring his Pak, ISI connect

After coming to Mumbai by sea, the terrorists, reportedly 10 men, had separated into different small teams.

It later emerged that they had landed on the seashore of Colaba on inflatable speedboats, after hijacking a fishing boat and killing five people on board.

Some of them moved to nearby Leopold Cafe, shooting away at pubgoers. Even today, the cafe's walls bear the bullet marks, which they haven't hidden as a tribute to those who perished and to the spirit of Mumbai.

Another target was the Jewish Centre at Nariman House, where they killed several Jews including a rabbi.

The major attack happened inside the Taj Mahal hotel for three days, where the terrorists engaged in a long gun and bomb battle with the security forces for the remaining days after taking hostages. Indian commandos from National Security Guard and Marine Commando Force joined the fight. The commandos were airdropped to the Taj hotel. One of them, Sandeep Unnikrishnan, made the supreme sacrifice while fighting the terrorists. 

Throughout the attack, the terrorist were getting instructions from their Pakistani handlers through mobile phone. When it emerged that they were also taking cues from breaking news on TV feeds in the Taj Hotel, the cable connection was cut.

How the event was planned

Kasab's capture alive was perhaps the greatest breakthrough for the investigators. He sang in the jail, and it became clear as daylight that it was an attack planned from Pakistan, with the blessings and possible involvement of its spy agency, the Interservices Intelligence or ISI, and former Pakistan Army officials. 

The terrorists were trained in camps located inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. They were given blueprints of the main targets: The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Oberoi Trident, Nariman House, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

India gets Tahawwur Rana: Who are the other accused in 26/11 case?

Two names stood out in the investigations into the planning: David Coleman Headley (born Daood Sayed Gilani) and his childhood friend Tahawwur Hussain Rana. 

Headly was the one who did the recce and surveillance for the terror attack sites. Posing as a tourist, the Pakistani-American took detailed videos and photos for planning the attack and provided GPS coordinates for the attacks.

Rana, who was a Pakistani Army doctor before emigrating to Canada and doing business in the US, helped in the planning of the attack.

Political fallout of Mumbai terror attack

The terror attack was a major political challenge to the Congress, which was ruling at the Centre. It was very clear that business as usual will not be acceptable in dealing with terrorism. Shivraj Patil, who was home minister at the time, was widely criticised for changing several outfits in his public appearances even as terrorists were shooting away in Mumbai. He was soon ousted, and P Chidambaram took over as home minister. BJP, which was in the opposition at the time, vowed to fight terrorism if it came to power.

What happened to the planners of Mumbai attack?

Headly is in jail in the US. LeT leader Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the ring leader, was arrested, disappeared, and re-arrested in Pakistan. Another mastermind, Sajid Majeed Mir, was convicted in a Pakistani anti-terrorism court.  

Many of the organisers of the attack are still at large. They include former Pakistani Army officers who trained and handled the terrorists, as well as intelligence operatives with links to ISI. 

How India changed its approach to terrorism: From 'soft state ' to surgical strike

It was when P Chidambaram was the home minister that NIA was formed. It became the nodal agency for investigating terrorism, with vast powers. 

After the BJP government came into power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India changed how it approached terrorism.

Tahawwur Rana: From 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to his extradition - A timeline | WION Explains

The next time Pakistan-based terrorists tried their luck was in the two attacks targeting Indian security forces in Uri and Pathankot.

India was swift to respond, striking terrorist camps inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The surgical strikes of 2016 and the subsequent dog fight between Indian and Pakistani Air Forces were a clear message, much more than a military operation. 

It was a message to Pakistan that India will take out terrorists from their homes if it had to.

The return of Tahawwur Rana to India is the latest chapter in that firm resolve.