In the statement issued by the United States on 26/11 plotter Tahawwur Rana, it was revealed that Rana showed no remorse after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and allegedly said that Indians "deserved" the attacks. The statement by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) came hours after Rana landed on Indian soil after being extradited to India. The US highlighted that his extradition "is a critical step toward seeking justice for the six Americans and scores of other victims who were killed in the heinous attacks." 

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In a detailed statement, the US Justice Department described India's allegations against Rana that helped build a case against him and led to his extradition. The DOJ revealed that in a conversation intercepted by Indian authorities, he told Headley that "the Indians deserved it." He also said that the terrorists and plotters of the Mumbai terror attack should be "given Nishan-e-Haider"—Pakistan’s highest award for gallantry in battle.

The US statement also revealed Rana's involvement in a number of terror cases. "India's pending proceedings against Rana are not the first proceedings in which Rana has been accused of conspiring to commit violent acts of terrorism. In 2013, Rana was sentenced to 14 years in prison following his trial conviction in the Northern District of Illinois for conspiring to provide material support to LeT and to a foiled LeT-sponsored terrorist plot in Copenhagen, Denmark. As part of those same criminal proceedings, Headley pleaded guilty to 12 federal terrorism charges, including aiding and abetting the murders of the six Americans in Mumbai and later planning to attack a Danish newspaper, and was sentenced to 35 years in prison."

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First photo of Tahawwur Hussain Rana out; Mumbai terror attack mastermind in NIA custody in Delhi

Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, served as a Pakistan Army doctor and played a role in facilitating the Mumbai terror attack by assisting one of the masterminds of the attack, David Coleman Headley. He is now in NIA custody for 18 days.

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

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As per NIA chargesheet, the conspirators apart from Rana in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks include David Coleman Headley or Daood Gilani, a US Citizen, resident of Chicago, Illinois, senior functionaries of terrorist outfits LeT and HUJI, namely Hafiz Muhammad Saeed or Tayyaji, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Sajjid Majid or Wasi, Illyas Kashmiri, Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed, Major Abdurrehman and ISI officers namely Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali.

Read More | Pakistan distances itself from Tahawwur Rana, says 'very clear' he's Canadian

Pakistan distances itself from Tahawwur Rana

Hours before Tahawwur Rana landed in India, Pakistan distanced itself from him and said that it was "very clear" that he was of Canadian nationality. Responding to a question by WION Pakistan bureau chief Anas Mallick during a press conference, Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan said that Rana, who was being extradited to India from the US "has not renewed his Pakistani documents for over two decades." Rana's Canadian nationality is very clear, he added.

Read More | Tahawwur Rana ‘should be hanged’: Father of cop killed in 26/11 attacks demands capital punishment ahead of his extradition