Did Tahawwur Rana Meet ISI Agent In Dubai During 26/11 Plot? NIA Probes Mystery Man
The NIA, according to reports, are questioning Tahawwur Rana about a man who he met in Dubai before the 26/11 Mumbai attacks unfolded.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) are on the lookout for a man who met one of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Tahawwur Rana in Dubai. The NIA is interrogating Rana, who was extradited from the US earlier this week, and sources from the investigation agency told CNN-News18 that the man who met key accused Rana in Dubai was likely an operative of the Pakistani intelligence agency, the Inter-state Intelligence services (ISI), and had prior knowledge of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
The 64-year-old Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman who is closely related to convicted 26/11 plotter David Coleman Headley is currently under high-security NIA custody in New Delhi.
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According to records shared by US agencies with Indian authorities, the alleged ISI operative whom Rana met in Dubai had prior knowledge of the 26/11 plot. The NIA has confirmed it is investigating his identity and role in the conspiracy.
Sources said Headley, also known as Daood Gilani, had warned Rana in 2008 against travelling to India, hinting at an imminent terror strike. He is believed to have arranged a meeting between Rana and the alleged ISI operative who confirmed the attack was about to take place.
A separate report by broadcaster NDTV which cited the NIA said that the investigating agency believes Rana may have named this individual during earlier questioning by US agencies. Those classified reports are now with Indian authorities, the report further added.
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NIA told the new agency that the tactics used in Mumbai may have been part of a larger plan to carry out similar strikes across India. As part of that probe, officials are now combing through Tahawwur Rana’s travel records in the days leading up to the 26/11 attacks.
Between November 13 and 21 in 2008, Rana travelled across several Indian cities with his wife, Samraz Rana Akhtar. The cities on the itinerary included Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur and Agra, Delhi, Kerala’s Kochi, Gujarat’s Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Investigators are looking into whether these trips were part of a reconnaissance mission to identify other possible targets.
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