“Government has taken note of the verdict announced by a US District Court in the Tahawwur Hussain Rana case following the finding by the jury that Rana was guilty on two of three counts. Rana has been found guilty on one count of ‘conspiracy to provide material support to the terrorism plot in Denmark’ and on one count of ‘providing material support to the Lashkar e Tayyiba (LeT)’, say a statement issued by the ministry of home.
The jury acquitted Rana of conspiracy to provide material support to the Mumbai terror attacks.
It may be recalled that evidence was produced in the US court that David Headley had advised Rana of his assignment to scout potential targets in India, Headley obtained Rana’s consent to open an office of First World Immigration Services as a cover for his activities; Rana advised Headley on how to obtain a visa for travel to India and that Headley and Rana had reviewed how Headley had done surveillance of the targets that were attacked in Mumbai. Evidence was also produced that Rana told Headley that the terrorists involved in Mumbai attacks should receive Pakistan’s highest military honours posthumously.
“We are, therefore, disappointed that Rana was acquitted on the count of conspiracy to provide material support to the Mumbai terrorist attacks” said the statement However, it said that Rana was tried in a US court in accordance with US law. Criminal trials in the US are jury trials and there are special rules governing such jury trials.
While Rana’s lawyers have stated that they will file an appeal against the verdict, it is not yet clear whether the US authorities would also file an appeal against the acquittal on one count of conspiracy.
NIA which is investigating the case against Headley, Rana and others had decided to wait for the proceedings to conclude in the US court before filing a charge sheet in India against the accused. NIA has also sought certain documents and evidence that were produced in the US court and expects to receive them.
After examining the verdict in the US court and after reviewing the documents and evidence that it expects to receive, NIA will take a decision on filing a charge sheet against Headley, Rana and others in an Indian court.”
Meanwhile External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said in Bangalore that the judicial process in the US had taken a particular view with which India might not be very much satisfied, but linkages between the two persons facing trial and the Mumbai terror attack were fairly evident.He said that India would ask the US to give it a chance to interrogate the accused.
Mr. Krishna said it was in the interest of India-Pakistan relations that the conspiracy behind the 26/11 strikes should be investigated in a transparent manner. He said that Pakistan will have to come clean in the matter.
India and Pakistan had suspended their composite dialogue process in the wake of the Mumbai strikes. The National Investigating Agency(NIA) is probing the case.
Earlier in the day Secretary, Internal Security in the Ministry of Home Affairs, U K Bansal said that the national investigating agency NIA will decide on filing charge sheet against Rana and Headly in an Indian Court. He said, government will go to the court against the 26/11 accused with its own investigation.
The US court yesterday, while acquitting Pakistani-Canadian businessman, Rana, of the charges relating to his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, however, found him guilty of helping the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), which is the outfit India blames for the carnage which had claimed the lives of 166 people.
Rana faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison on the two counts combined and remains in federal custody without bond.A sentencing date has not yet been set. Rana is the second defendant to be convicted among a total of eight co-defendants who have been indicted in this case since late 2009.