Before the proposed visit of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to India, his government has taken a big step regarding Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the main accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. According to the report of Canadian media outlet Global News, the Canadian government has started the process of revoking Rana’s citizenship. Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 65, is currently lodged in an Indian jail, where he faces trial on charges of helping in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. In April 2025, he was brought to India through extradition from America. More than 160 people were killed in the 26/11 attacks (according to official figures, 166 people were killed) and hundreds were injured.
According to the report, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has formally informed Rana that it intends to cancel his Canadian citizenship. However, this action is not directly related to terrorism allegations, but is related to alleged false information given during the citizenship application.
What is the allegation against Tahawwur Hussain Rana?
Rana went to Canada in 1997 and got Canadian citizenship in 2001. According to IRCC, in the letter sent on May 31, 2024, it was said that Rana had given wrong information about his residence in Canada while applying for citizenship. While applying in 2000, Rana had claimed that he had lived in Ottawa and Toronto for four years. He had reported absence of only six days during that period, but investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) revealed that he was most of the time in Chicago, USA, where he owned several properties and was running an immigration consultancy and other businesses. This case is currently pending in the Federal Court of Canada. According to the spokesperson of the Immigration Department, cancellation of citizenship obtained on the basis of wrong information is a necessary step to maintain the credibility of the government’s process.
Who is Tahawwur Hussain Rana?
Tahawwur Hussain Rana of Pakistani origin is accused of conspiring the 2008 Mumbai attacks along with David Coleman Headley and terrorists associated with terrorist organizations Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami. After his arrest in America, India had demanded his extradition. Rana approached the US courts, even the Supreme Court, to stop the extradition, but all his appeals were rejected. In April 2025, he was brought to India, where the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested him. This step taken just before Mark Carney’s visit to India is also considered important in the context of India-Canada relations.
