Delhi authorities heavily increased security on Thursday before the arrival of Tahawwur Rana, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack suspect extradited by the United States after almost 16 years. Rana, a Canadian citizen and former Pakistani military officer, is being brought to India for trial.
When he arrives at Palam airport, Rana will be taken into the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and taken to the NIA headquarters in a bulletproof car. Armoured escort vehicles will accompany the car, and a “marksman” vehicle will be ready on standby. The “marksman” vehicle, which is typically used for taking high-risk passengers like gangsters and terrorists, is meant to be attack-proof.
Delhi Police, SWAT Teams Deployed for High-Risk Transport
Delhi Police’s Special Cell has been put on high alert, with Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) commandos deployed at the airport to cover the area during the transfer of Tahawwur Rana.
The NIA will then formally arrest Rana and produce him in court virtually. He will then be put under judicial custody and kept in a high-security ward in Tihar Jail.
NIA to Interrogate Tahawwur Rana on Pakistan’s Role in 26/11
The NIA has set up an interrogation cell at its headquarters, where access has been allowed only to 12 top officials — including NIA DG Sadanand Date, IG Ashish Batra, and DIG Jaya Roy. Investigators are likely to question Rana on the role of Pakistani state actors in the 2008 attacks.
As per the NIA, Rana employed his immigration consultancy firm to facilitate David Coleman Headley — a Pakistani-American under US custody — to conduct surveillance in Mumbai before the attacks.
On 26 November 2008, 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists attacked 12 places in Mumbai and killed 166 individuals. The only terrorist taken alive, Ajmal Kasab, was put to death in 2012 following a trial in India.
