26/11 Mumbai attack plotter Tahawwur Rana met a mysterious man in Dubai. That man knew about the impending attack. The National Investigative Agency (NIA) is probing the identity and role of this man.
Did 26/11 Mumbai terror attack kingpin Tahawwur Rana meet a man in Dubai, who knew about the attack much before it took place? Was he an agent of Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI? These and many other questions may be answered now when Rana is investigated further by the NIA. The 26/11 Mumbai attack has been extradited to India recently, though the process was started way back in 2009. US President Donald Trump announced his intention of sending Tahawwur Rana to India in February, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the country, a month after the new president took over.
Tahawwur Rana meets mysterious man in Dubai
According to the records shared by US investigative agencies with Indian authorities, Rana met a mysterious man in Dubai. That man knew about the impending attack. The National Investigative Agency is probing the identity and role of this man. It is also investigating the role of another 26/11 attack accused, David Headley. Born in Pakistan as Dawood Gilani, he had warned Rana in 2008 not to travel to India. He hinted at the imminent terrorist operations.
Role of Pakistan Army, ISI to be probed
According to the NIA, he also arranged to introduce Rana to a co-conspirator in Dubai who confirmed that the Mumbai attack was imminent. The agency is investigating whether the man in Dubai was an agent of the Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan’s military intelligence agency. It will also probe his possible link to a senior figure within the Pakistani Army, or a leader of a designated terror group operating from Pakistan.
The NIA may have a hard nut to crack as the man; identity has been kept under wraps even within elite counter-terror networks. Reports suggest, Rana may have referred to him in earlier questioning by US authorities, who have handed over their classified reports to India.
David Headley visits India
If reports are to be believed, Headley had reportedly informed Rana about Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT) plan to send him to India to conduct reconnaissance under the guise of working for Rana’s immigration consultancy firm. Headley said that Rana’s immigration business would be a suitable front to mask the activities. Rana visited several Indian cities with his wife, Samraz Rana Akhtar between November 13 and 21, 2008. The couple visited Hapur and Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Kochi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai.
Ten members of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation, Lashkar-e-Taiba, carried out 12 shooting and bombing attacks over four days across Mumbai. The mayhem began on Wednesday, November 26, and lasted until Saturday, November 29, 2008. A total of 175 people died, including nine of the attackers, and more than 300 people were injured.