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India is set to receive Tahawwur Hussain Rana, one of the accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, from the United States. This development has also brought renewed attention to his close associate, David Coleman Headley, a key conspirator in the 2008 attacks that left 166 people dead, including 20 security personnel and 26 foreigners, across multiple locations in Mumbai.
A joint team from India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is reportedly making arrangements to bring Rana back after his legal efforts to block extradition failed—nearly 16 years after his arrest by the FBI.
Meanwhile, Headley, a US citizen of Pakistani origin, has already pleaded guilty to his role in orchestrating the attacks that plunged Mumbai into chaos for nearly three days. He is currently serving a 35-year sentence in a US prison for terrorism-related charges linked to both the Mumbai attacks and a planned attack on a Danish newspaper.
Who is David Coleman Headley?
David Coleman Headley was born Daood Sayed Gilani in Washington, D.C., to Sayed Salim Gilani, a well-known Pakistani diplomat and broadcaster, and his American wife, Alice Serrill Headley. He spent his early years at a boarding school in Pakistan before relocating to the United States, where he worked as a bartender at his family’s pub in Philadelphia.
During his time in the US, Headley developed links with the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). In 1998, he was sentenced to two years in prison for smuggling heroin into the US from Pakistan. Following his release, he began working with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), conducting undercover surveillance operations in Pakistan.
Between 2002 and 2005, Headley attended at least five LeT training camps in Pakistan. Acting on instructions from LeT commanders, he traveled to India multiple times to conduct reconnaissance for the 26/11 attacks. According to the US Department of Justice, he carried out surveillance operations in Mumbai on five different occasions leading up to the attacks in November 2008.
Arrest and Cooperation with Authorities
In 2009, US authorities arrested Headley before he could execute further attacks in Denmark. He later pleaded guilty to terrorism charges and cooperated extensively with investigators, offering detailed insights into LeT’s operations and Pakistan’s role in supporting terrorist activities.
Despite India’s repeated requests for his extradition, the US has refused to hand over Headley, citing his plea bargain agreement, under which he provided intelligence in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.
Also Read: Tahawwur Rana’s Trial To Be Held In Delhi After NIA Gets Green Light
