Tahawwur Rana, who was extradited to India from the US, told police that he was a trusted agent of the Pakistan Army and conducted reconnaissance of several areas in Mumbai.
26/11 mastermind Tahawwur Rana made some explosive revelations to the Mumbai Crime Branch, saying that he was a trusted agent of the Pakistan Army and was in Mumbai during the 2008 attacks.
Rana was extradited from the United States to India on April 10 after the US Supreme Court rejected his review plea against the extradition on April 4. He is now facing a trial in the 26/11 terror attacks case. At least 166 people were killed in the gruesome bloodshed on the streets of Mumbai and in the Hotel Taj.
While under the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Rana’s statement was recorded by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, where he made significant revelations, such as being a trusted agent of the Pakistan Army
Rana said he was sent to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War, and revealed that the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was originally formed as an espionage network. He also claimed that his associate, David Headley, had conducted several terrorist training sessions with the banned LeT group.
Rana said he had conducted reconnaissance of several areas in Mumbai ahead of the 2008 attacks and was present in the area when Lashkar-linked terrorists attacked the Taj Hotel. Last month, Delhi’s Patiala House Court had granted permission to Rana to speak with his family members once on the telephone. The NIA had granted permission for one phone call in its response to the jail authorities. The court had extended Rana’s judicial custody till July 9 after he was produced before it through video conference.
The NIA has charged Rana with conspiracy to carry out the attack with David Headley, who is a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative who helped plan and survey targets for the Mumbai attacks on the instructions of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed. Rana was reportedly involved in the planning of the attacks and helped Headley in getting a visa by creating a false identity to enable him to travel to India.
Published by -Pranav Shailesh Lade
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