Did Tahawwur Rana's Aide David Headley Visit Mumbai After 26/11 Terror Attacks To Assess Damage?
David Headley returned to Mumbai in March 2009, just months after the attack, reportedly to survey new targets and assess the psychological aftermath.
On a sultry November evening in 2008, ten heavily armed gunmen arrived by sea, bringing with them a wave of horror that changed Mumbai’s history forever. Gunfire and grenades echoed through hotels and train stations and by the time the siege ended, 166 lives had been lost and the city’s spirit was scarred. Now, more than 16 years later, a decisive step toward justice has been taken.
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, has finally been extradited from the United States and is now in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). A childhood friend of David Headley, the Pakistani-American operative who conducted reconnaissance for the attacks, Rana stands accused of helping to orchestrate one of the deadliest terror strikes in history.
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Officials say Rana, a Pakistani-born Canadian who ran an immigration services company with offices in Mumbai, provided cover for Headley’s covert missions in India. His business offered Headley the perfect front to move undetected as he surveyed potential targets in the months leading up to the carnage.
Investigators say Headley, born Dawood Sayed Geelani, visited India multiple times between 2006 and 2008. During these visits, he photographed and mapped out key locations including the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the Oberoi Trident, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, and Nariman House – all sites that later came under siege. Headley’s intelligence-gathering proved crucial for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Pakistan-based terrorist group behind the attack.
But perhaps more disturbingly, Headley did not stop even after the bloodshed. According to intelligence sources and court depositions, he returned to India in March 2009, just months after the attack, reportedly to survey new targets and assess the psychological aftermath. Disguised and moving under the radar, he visited Delhi, Mumbai, and other cities, successfully evading detection.
These revelations emerged only after Headley was arrested in the US in 2009. His confession to US authorities blew the lid off the international web of conspirators behind 26/11 terror attack. It was also through Headley’s testimony that the depth of Rana’s involvement came to light. In intercepted conversations between the two, made public by US authorities, Rana is heard praising the attack and suggesting that the terrorists should be awarded Pakistan’s highest military honour – the Nishan-e-Haider.
While David Headley remains imprisoned in the United States, shielded from extradition due to a plea deal, his associate is now within NIA’s grasp. Rana’s extradition marks a rare diplomatic and legal breakthrough, and one that officials hope will reignite the broader push for accountability – not just for the foot soldiers, but for the masterminds who manipulated events from behind the scenes.
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