New Delhi:
The acquittal of Tahawwur Rana in planning the 26/11 attacks is being seen as a setback for India. "We are disappointed," said UK Bandal, India's Secretary for Internal Security. He said the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is handling the 26/11 case, will gather more information from America. The NIA will also debate filing a chargesheet against Mr Rana in an Indian court.
(Read: Official government statement on Rana acquittal)"US declaring Tahawwur Rana innocent in Mumbai attack has disgraced the sovereignty of India and it is a major foreign policy setback," tweeted Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr Rana, a Pakistani-American, who owned an immigration service agency, was being tried in a court in Chicago. He was found guilty of working with terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and of planning an attack on the Danish newspaper that published a controversial cartoon of Prophet Mohammed. However, he was found not guilty of conspiracy to provide material support for the Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed, including six Americans. David Coleman Headley, who was arrested along with Mr Rana in Chicago in September 2009, testified against Mr Rana. In a plea bargain struck earlier with the US, Mr Headley accepted that he was guilty of videotaping the Mumbai landmarks that were targeted during 26/11. In return, US officials have guaranteed Mr Headley that he will not be extradited to India.
Mr Rana faces upto 30 years in prison for the charges on which he has been convicted. A date for his sentencing has not been fixed yet.
Mr Rana's verdict creates a new problem for India as it tries to push Pakistan to take action against the masterminds of 26/11, many of who live in Pakistan. Laskhar founder Hafiz Saeed who also heads the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) is free and is often seen delivering hate speeches against India. Pakistan claims multiple dossiers delivered by India do not present any evidence against Mr Saeed. Senior Lashkar commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi is in jail and India wants to question him as well as his conspirators.
Because the verdict today accepts Mr Rana's innocence in the 26/11 case, it damages the credibility of Mr Headley who had testified that senior members of Pakistan's spy agency, the ISI, were involved with planning 26/11. He later contradicted himself during Mr Rana's trial. Pakistan will, Indian sources fear, be emboldened by Mr Rana's acquittal to challenge any damaging statements made by Mr Headley against their senior military officials.
After the jury gave its verdict, US Attorney Patrick J Fitzgerald said, "We are disappointed in the not guilty verdict on the Mumbai attacks."
He also justified the controversial plea bargain deal cut with Headley that spared him the death penalty and extradition to India. "I am convinced that we would have made a terrible mistake if we did not sit down with Headley and get all the information that we did and came from them," Fitzgerald said.