US court rejects bail plea of 26/11 accused

Washington, December 14

A US court has denied the bail plea of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack and declared a fugitive by India, asserting that he has not negated the “risk of flight”.

Rana, 59, a childhood friend of David Coleman Headley, was rearrested on June 10 in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed.

Rana’s petition

• Tahawwur Rana in his bail plea said his health is in poor condition, including two heart attacks while in custody and two weeks of illness early this year.
• Rana argued that he was not a danger to the community, which was opposed by the US.

Pakistani-American LeT terrorist Headley was involved in plotting the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. He was made an approver in the case, and is currently serving a 35-year prison term in the US.

Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Chooljian, the US District Court of Los Angeles, in his order on December 10 said that Rana “presented a robust bail package” and offered conditions that significantly mitigate the risk of flight.

But the “court cannot find that he has negated the risk of flight”. — PTI