The United States has approved the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, a suspect linked to the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, to India. The announcement was made by President Donald Trump during a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Thursday.
Rana, a Pakistani-origin Chicago businessman and Canadian citizen, is accused of providing support to Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based Islamist group responsible for the attacks, which killed over 160 people. The attacks, which took place from November 26 to 29, 2008, targeted several locations in Mumbai, including luxury hotels, a train station, and a Jewish center.
Though Trump did not initially name Rana, a joint statement from both the US and Indian governments later confirmed his identity. The extradition is seen as a significant step in strengthening counterterrorism cooperation between the two nations.
Trump also addressed the ongoing issue of Sikh separatists in the US, who are seen by India as security threats due to their demand for an independent Khalistan state. While Trump did not directly address the issue, he emphasized that the US and India are working together on crime-related matters.
This extradition comes amid rising tensions over India’s targeting of Sikh separatists in the US and Canada, with the US having charged a former Indian intelligence officer over an alleged assassination plot against a Sikh leader. India’s investigation into these allegations has further complicated relations between the two countries.
