Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a main conspirator in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has shared vital information about how the deadly strike was planned. Rana was recently extradited to India after a long legal and diplomatic process.

The attack, which left over 170 people dead, shocked the world and targeted several crowded places in Mumbai.

During questioning by the Mumbai Police crime branch, the 64-year-old revealed how he helped David Coleman Headley, the mastermind of the attacks, in spotting major locations to be targeted, including the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

Rana told investigators that he completed his MBBS in 1986 from the Army Medical College in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and was commissioned as a Captain doctor posted in Quetta.

He also served in sensitive areas like Sindh, Balochistan, Bahawalpur, and Siachen-Balotra. While in Siachen, Rana developed a serious lung condition called pulmonary edema. Due to prolonged absence from duty during recovery, he was eventually marked as a deserter.

Rana said he joined the terror conspiracy after Headley promised him help in clearing his military record.

Rana has claimed that the Pakistani military establishment had full trust in him. He said he was even sent on a secret mission to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War.

Over the years, Rana lived in Germany, the UK, and the US, and finally settled in Canada, where he started businesses in meat processing, real estate, and groceries.

Rana and Headley were classmates at Cadet College Hasan Abdal between 1974 and 1979. Headley, whose mother was American and father Pakistani, moved to the United States after family issues and began living with his biological mother.

Rana said Headley trained with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) three times between 2003 and 2004. According to Rana, Headley described LeT as more of a spy network than a purely ideological group.

According to the NIA chargesheet, Headley visited several Indian cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Pushkar, Goa, and Pune, pretending to be a representative of a fake company called Immigrant Law Centre.

Rana told police that the idea to set up the company was his and that it was run by a woman. This office helped the attackers carry out surveillance operations in India before the strike.

Rana also admitted that he visited India in November 2008, staying at a hotel in Mumbai's Powai on November 20 and 21, just before the attacks. He left for Beijing via Dubai right before the attack took place.

A 405-page supplementary chargesheet filed in 2023 said Rana assisted Headley in gathering information on busy public spots, like the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

So far, 14 witnesses have confirmed Rana’s role in the terror plot. When asked about the forged Indian documents used by the terrorists, Rana blamed the Indian Embassy. However, investigations show that he helped Headley enter India using fake paperwork.

Rana has admitted that he knew Sajid Mir, Abdul Rehman Pasha, and Major Iqbal — all believed to be behind the planning of 26/11. He is also reported to have actively coordinated with Lashkar-e-Taiba and Pakistan’s spy agency, ISI.

Rana’s statements and connections are expected to play a key role in strengthening the case against the masterminds behind one of India’s most horrific terror attacks.

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