IndianTiger
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Q&A: Tahawwur Rana
trial 23 May 11 16:19 GMT The trial of Chicago
businessman Tawwahur
Rana, accused of helping
plan the Mumbai attacks
of 2008, has begun in the
United States. It is being closely watched for
what it might reveal
about Pakistan's role in
the global fight against
terrorism. The Mumbai attacks killed
more than 160 people,
including six Americans. The
BBC's Zubair Ahmed, who
was in Mumbai when the
attacks took place, examines some key
questions about the trial. Who is Tahawwur Rana
and what is he charged
with? Tahawwur Hussain Rana,
50, grew up in Pakistan and
following his medical degree
joined the Pakistani Army's
medical corps. He and his
wife, also a doctor, became naturalised Canadians in
2001. Before his arrest in
2009, he had been living in
Chicago running several
businesses, including an
immigration and travel agency. Three years earlier he
helped his childhood friend
David Headley open a
branch of the business in
Mumbai. It is alleged the
office was set up to scout for possible terrorist targets
in the city. Headley - who pleaded
guilty last year to scouting
locations for the Mumbai
attacks - is expected to be a
key prosecution witness. He
has already admitted he had links to the militant
organisation allegedly
behind the attacks, Lashkar-
e-Toiba - and says he had
links to the Pakistani
intelligence service ISI. Mr Rana faces 12 charges,
including helping to kill
American citizens. He has
been charged with
providing a cover for
Headley and of passing messages between his
former friend and a man
known as "Major Iqbal",
who some believe is part of
the ISI. How was he arrested and
when? Mr Rana and Headley were
arrested in October 2009 for
allegedly plotting to attack
the offices of Jyllands-
Posten newspaper, which
had published the controversial cartoons of
Prophet Muhammad. During
the interrogation it is alleged
that their complicity in the
Mumbai attacks came to
light. The federal court in Chicago
has charged four other men,
who were formally named
in April. They were
identified as Captain Iqbal,
Sajid Meer, Abu Qahafa and Mazhar Iqbal. They are
Pakistani nationals, but only
Mazhar Iqbal has been
arrested in Pakistan. What is David Headley's
role and how is his
testimony crucial to the
case? David Headley's testimony is
likely to connect Mr Rana to
the ISI, a revelation that may
deepen the American
suspicion of the ISI's links to
terrorist organisations - although Pakistan is
expected to deny any such
links. He has already confessed to
being involved in the
conspiracy to attack Mumbai
at the behest of some of his
associates in Pakistan. He
used to meet the four men, who were charged and
named by the Chicago court
in April with taking lead
roles in the Mumbai attacks. According to the indictment,
Headley made several visits
to Mumbai to survey the
locations for attacks. After
each of his visits to Mumbai
he went to Pakistan and met his alleged handlers. It is
alleged that on their advice
he opened an immigration
and travel office, called First
World, owned by Mr Rana. How reliable a witness is
David Headley? Pakistan accuses him of
being a liar and is expected
to flatly deny any
allegations that might
implicate the ISI. It is widely
believed that Headley is going to give a detailed
account of his claimed
involvement with some
people in the ISI - and that
the prosecution will use
records of phone calls and documentary evidence to
back his statement. It is believed the defence will
try hard to discredit
Headley, who has entered
into a plea bargain in return
for his testimony. What could the case
mean for US-Pakistani
relations? The trial begins at a time
when Pakistan's intelligence
services have been coming
under fire for failing to
detect Osama Bin Laden,
killed by US forces killed on 2 May outside Islamabad. But the US government has
avoided naming the ISI in
the charges, a "tactical"
move according to Sebastian
Rotella, a ProPublica
journalist who has written extensively about the trial. By not naming the ISI the US
is sending a "tough signal to
Pakistan but pulling the
punch, says Rotella. "It
doesn't want to give the
impression that it is blaming the entire institution." Christine Fair, a professor
and terrorism expert at
Georgetown University,
says the trial was a "big
deal" before Osama Bin
Laden was killed, "but it is an even bigger deal now
because in part there is so
much frustration across the
US government with
Pakistan".
trial 23 May 11 16:19 GMT The trial of Chicago
businessman Tawwahur
Rana, accused of helping
plan the Mumbai attacks
of 2008, has begun in the
United States. It is being closely watched for
what it might reveal
about Pakistan's role in
the global fight against
terrorism. The Mumbai attacks killed
more than 160 people,
including six Americans. The
BBC's Zubair Ahmed, who
was in Mumbai when the
attacks took place, examines some key
questions about the trial. Who is Tahawwur Rana
and what is he charged
with? Tahawwur Hussain Rana,
50, grew up in Pakistan and
following his medical degree
joined the Pakistani Army's
medical corps. He and his
wife, also a doctor, became naturalised Canadians in
2001. Before his arrest in
2009, he had been living in
Chicago running several
businesses, including an
immigration and travel agency. Three years earlier he
helped his childhood friend
David Headley open a
branch of the business in
Mumbai. It is alleged the
office was set up to scout for possible terrorist targets
in the city. Headley - who pleaded
guilty last year to scouting
locations for the Mumbai
attacks - is expected to be a
key prosecution witness. He
has already admitted he had links to the militant
organisation allegedly
behind the attacks, Lashkar-
e-Toiba - and says he had
links to the Pakistani
intelligence service ISI. Mr Rana faces 12 charges,
including helping to kill
American citizens. He has
been charged with
providing a cover for
Headley and of passing messages between his
former friend and a man
known as "Major Iqbal",
who some believe is part of
the ISI. How was he arrested and
when? Mr Rana and Headley were
arrested in October 2009 for
allegedly plotting to attack
the offices of Jyllands-
Posten newspaper, which
had published the controversial cartoons of
Prophet Muhammad. During
the interrogation it is alleged
that their complicity in the
Mumbai attacks came to
light. The federal court in Chicago
has charged four other men,
who were formally named
in April. They were
identified as Captain Iqbal,
Sajid Meer, Abu Qahafa and Mazhar Iqbal. They are
Pakistani nationals, but only
Mazhar Iqbal has been
arrested in Pakistan. What is David Headley's
role and how is his
testimony crucial to the
case? David Headley's testimony is
likely to connect Mr Rana to
the ISI, a revelation that may
deepen the American
suspicion of the ISI's links to
terrorist organisations - although Pakistan is
expected to deny any such
links. He has already confessed to
being involved in the
conspiracy to attack Mumbai
at the behest of some of his
associates in Pakistan. He
used to meet the four men, who were charged and
named by the Chicago court
in April with taking lead
roles in the Mumbai attacks. According to the indictment,
Headley made several visits
to Mumbai to survey the
locations for attacks. After
each of his visits to Mumbai
he went to Pakistan and met his alleged handlers. It is
alleged that on their advice
he opened an immigration
and travel office, called First
World, owned by Mr Rana. How reliable a witness is
David Headley? Pakistan accuses him of
being a liar and is expected
to flatly deny any
allegations that might
implicate the ISI. It is widely
believed that Headley is going to give a detailed
account of his claimed
involvement with some
people in the ISI - and that
the prosecution will use
records of phone calls and documentary evidence to
back his statement. It is believed the defence will
try hard to discredit
Headley, who has entered
into a plea bargain in return
for his testimony. What could the case
mean for US-Pakistani
relations? The trial begins at a time
when Pakistan's intelligence
services have been coming
under fire for failing to
detect Osama Bin Laden,
killed by US forces killed on 2 May outside Islamabad. But the US government has
avoided naming the ISI in
the charges, a "tactical"
move according to Sebastian
Rotella, a ProPublica
journalist who has written extensively about the trial. By not naming the ISI the US
is sending a "tough signal to
Pakistan but pulling the
punch, says Rotella. "It
doesn't want to give the
impression that it is blaming the entire institution." Christine Fair, a professor
and terrorism expert at
Georgetown University,
says the trial was a "big
deal" before Osama Bin
Laden was killed, "but it is an even bigger deal now
because in part there is so
much frustration across the
US government with
Pakistan".
