 "Trump announces extradition of 26/11 plotter Tahawwur Rana, calls on Pakistan to punish terrorists")
US President Donald Trump said that terrorism is a common enemy of India and the United States, pledging to deport the plotter of the devastating 26/11 attacks that jolted Mumbai in 2008. The remarks from the president came at his joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Indian premier is on a two-day visit to the United States at the invitation of the POTUS. This marked PM Modi’s first visit to the country after Trump returned to the White House.
“The United States and India will be working together like never before to confront the radical Islamic terrorism, a threat all over the world. Today I am pleased to announce that the administration has approved the extradition of one of the plotters of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack to face justice in India,” Trump said at the presser on Thursday.
#WATCH | Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump says, "I am pleased to announce that my administration has approved the extradition of one of the plotters (Tahawwur Rana) and one of the very evil people of the world, having to do with the horrific 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack… pic.twitter.com/HxgI5zaelO
— ANI (@ANI) February 13, 2025
With this, the president approved the extradition of the Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana to India and assured New Delhi that he would face justice. Last month, the US State Department said that it is evaluating the next steps for Tahawwur’s extradition to India. Trump and the State Department’s stance on the matter is in line with the US Supreme Court’s recent order to start the extradition process.
Trump-Modi joint statement also has a message for Pakistan
The joint statement which was released after the bilateral talks mentioned that both Trump and Modi asked the leaders of Pakistan “to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai, and Pathankot attacks and ensure that its territory is not used to carry out cross-border terrorist attacks.”
“The leaders reaffirmed that the global scourge of terrorism must be fought and terrorist safe havens eliminated from every corner of the world. They committed to strengthen cooperation against terrorist threats from groups, including Al-Qa’ida, ISIS, Jaish-e Mohammad, and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba in order to prevent heinous acts like the attacks in Mumbai on 26/11 and the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021,” the joint statement reads.
“Recognizing a shared desire to bring to justice those who would harm our citizens, the U.S. announced that the extradition to India of Tahawwur Rana has been approved. The leaders further called on Pakistan to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai, and Pathankot attacks and ensure that its territory is not used to carry out cross-border terrorist attacks.”
“The leaders also pledged to work together to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems and to deny access to such weapons by terrorists and non-state actors,” the statement further read.
PM Modi hails Trump’s tough stance on terrorism
During the joint press briefing, the prime minister lauded Trump’s tough stance on terrorism, expressing gratitude for the extradition of Rana. “India and America have been together in the fight against terrorism. We agree that solid action must be taken to eliminate terrorism that originates on the other side of the border,” PM Modi said in the briefing.
“I am thankful to the president that he has decided to extradite a criminal to India who committed genocide in 2008 in India. The courts in India will take proper action,” he added.
On January 21, the US Supreme Court denied a writ petition of certiorari filed by Rana. The 26/11 plotter had filed a petition to prevent his extradition to India. The petition, filed in November 2024, was against a lower court order which had ruled in favour of Rana’s extraction.
#WATCH | Washington, DC | PM Narendra Modi says, "India and America have been together in the fight against terrorism. We agree that solid action must be taken to eliminate terrorism that originates on the other side of the border. I am thankful to the president that he has… https://t.co/8eXAFXqCvJ pic.twitter.com/PF9PLo1786
— ANI (@ANI) February 13, 2025
The devastating 26/11 attack resulted in the deaths of 174 people, including 20 security personnel and 26 foreigners. Over 300 people were injured in the horrific attack which took place in Mumbai’s Taj Hotel.
With inputs from agencies.
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