New Delhi, India — As the Trump administration authorized the extradition of Tahawwur Rana to India in early 2025, his attorney, John D. Cline, mounted a fervent last-minute attempt to prevent his client’s transfer. Cline reached out to U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, appealing on health grounds and alleging potential mistreatment in India. Despite these efforts, Rubio’s office maintained that the extradition adhered to international obligations under the United Nations’ Convention Against Torture (CAT).
At the heart of the legal battle, Cline’s advocacy centered on a plea to Rubio to reconsider the extradition decision. Cline argued that extraditing Rana, who had been acquitted of related charges in a federal court in Chicago, would be unprecedented in U.S. legal history and could undermine the sanctity of jury acquittals. Moreover, Cline highlighted Rana’s serious health issues, including Parkinson’s disease, chronic kidney disease, and a history of heart attacks, to bolster his case.
The correspondence between Cline and Rubio’s office surfaced in documents that became public only recently. These letters detailed Cline’s concerns about the human rights conditions and alleged torture practices in Indian prisons, fears he believed would be realized if Rana were extradited.
However, on February 11, 2025, Oliver Lewis, an assistant legal adviser representing Rubio, confirmed that the extradition decision complied with U.S. obligations under the CAT, addressing the legal and humanitarian basis for their decision. Lewis also indicated openness to receiving additional medical information from Rana’s legal team to assist with his healthcare upon arrival in India.
The courts previously involved upheld the decision, with the district judge and the Ninth Circuit Court both dismissing Rana’s appeals against extradition. The U.S. Supreme Court also rejected Rana’s plea on January 21, adding a judicial seal of approval to the extradition proceedings.
Upon his extradition, Rana was taken into custody by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) and immediately faced intense interrogations regarding his alleged connections to the Pakistani army and Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Senator Rubio, reflecting on the extradition, expressed satisfaction on social media, emphasizing the collaborative effort between the U.S. and India to pursue justice for the victims of the Mumbai attacks, which claimed the lives of 166 people, including six Americans.
In a related development, it has been disclosed that the NIA has been working with a protected witness who had coordinated with David Headley, an accused conspirator, on Rana’s instructions. This key witness is expected to provide crucial testimony against Rana.
With these proceedings, Rana now faces a complex legal battle, one that touches on international law, human rights, and the intricacies of transnational terrorism cases.
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