Tahawwur Hussain Rana, recently extradited to India from the United States, is a key figure in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. His journey from a Pakistan Army doctor to an alleged facilitator of one of the most devastating terror attacks in India's history is a complex narrative involving disputed military service, a close friendship turned deadly conspiracy, and a web of international connections.

Rana was born on January 12, 1961, in Chichawatni, Punjab, Pakistan. He attended Cadet College Hasan Abdal where he became close friends with David Coleman Headley. Rana pursued a career in medicine and served as a Captain in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps.

According to a motion filed by his lawyer, Rana's career in the Pakistan armed forces ended prematurely. While serving as a military physician, Rana was transported to high elevations in the Northern Areas of Pakistan without proper acclimatization, leading to High Altitude Cerebral Edema and High Altitude Pulmonary Edema. The Pakistan military was unable to treat Rana effectively, and he sought treatment in England. His request for extended leave was denied, and he overstayed, leading to him being declared a deserter. His wife, Samraz Rana, mentioned that due to health reasons Tahawwur Rana had declined a posting in a glacier region and consequently been declared a deserter because of which he could never visit Pakistan after they migrated to Canada in 1997.

In 1997, Rana immigrated to Canada with his wife, also a doctor. They obtained Canadian citizenship in 2001 and later moved to Chicago, where he operated several businesses, including an immigration consultancy called First World Immigration Services. This consultancy would later become a crucial element in the 26/11 Mumbai terror plot.

US investigations suggest that Rana's links to the Mumbai attacks began in August 2005, when he and Headley discussed the plot. Headley, who had been chosen and trained by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to conduct reconnaissance in Mumbai and other Indian cities, proposed using Rana's immigration business as a front for LeT's surveillance activities. Headley posed as an "immigration consultant" for Rana in Mumbai. To further entice Rana, Headley offered to help resolve Rana's status as a deserter from the Pakistani Army.

As India alleges, Rana facilitated a fraudulent cover so that Headley could freely travel to Mumbai for conducting surveillance of potential attack sites for LeT. Between November 26 and 29, 2008, ten LeT terrorists carried out a series of coordinated shooting and bombing attacks in Mumbai, killing 166 people, including six Americans.

Following the attacks, Rana reportedly congratulated the group behind the assault. In communications with Headley, he instructed his co-conspirator to pass along his congratulations to the terror group for their excellent planning and preparation.

In 2009, Rana was arrested in connection with the Mumbai attacks and a planned attack on the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. Although acquitted of direct participation in the Mumbai attacks by a U.S. court, he was convicted of providing material support for terrorism. In 2013, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison. He was released in 2020 on compassionate grounds after contracting COVID-19 but was arrested again following India's renewed extradition request. The Supreme Court of the United States approved Rana's extradition to India in May 2023, which was confirmed by President Donald Trump in February 2025. On April 9, 2025, Rana was extradited to India.

Currently, Rana is in NIA custody, and the agency is investigating his role in the 26/11 attacks, scrutinizing his connections to individuals potentially linked to Dawood Ibrahim's D-Company. Investigators are analyzing phone calls between Rana and Headley, exploring possible ISI and LeT ties, and examining Rana's pre-attack visits to India. The NIA believes these conversations hold vital clues to the operational details of the attacks, and to those who worked behind the scenes. Rana faces charges in India for criminal conspiracy, terrorism, and murder.