The US Supreme Court has officially cleared the way for the extradition of a Canadian national of Pakistani descent, Tahawwur Rana, to India.
Rana is accused of playing a role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which targeted multiple locations and resulted in the deaths of 166 people, including six Americans.
Currently held in a Los Angeles prison, Rana was arrested by the FBI in Chicago in 2009.
He is linked to David Coleman Headley, a key figure in the attacks, and is alleged to have assisted Headley and others in supporting the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Headley, turned approver in the case, is serving a 35-year sentence in the US.
Rana recently filed an appeal challenging his extradition, arguing that he had already been tried and acquitted in a federal court in Illinois on related charges.
He expressed concerns about facing a second trial in India for the same allegations, which could result in a conviction and potential death sentence.
After his appeal was dismissed by the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar urged the court to reject Rana’s petition.
Joshua L. Dratel, his attorney, opposed the government’s stance but was unsuccessful. With the Supreme Court’s decision, Rana’s extradition to India is now set to proceed.