Intelligence agency NIA interrogates Tahawwur Rana over ISI's alleged establishment in Karachi and Nepal.
Read this news in a nutshell ## Rana's confidante David Coleman Headley has revealed the Karachi and Nepal setups of the ISI and LeT to the NIA
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been grilling the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana about the Karachi and Nepal operations of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Rana's old mate and co-accused, David Coleman Headley, exposed the Karachi and Nepal setups to the NIA sleuths when they questioned him in June 2010 during their visit to the US.
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"Headley mentioned a Karachi set-up and a Nepal set-up run by Major Abdul Rehman Hashim Syed alias Pasha (a key accused in the 26/11 attacks). The Karachi set-up, as Headley claimed, used local Indian boys for attacks and had the complete backing of ISI. The LeT also had a Karachi set-up, controlled by Sajid Mir (a main ISI handler linked to the case), and had Maharashtra and Gujarat based boys," said a source who desires anonymity.
The NIA is now drilling Rana about these setups and individuals that Indian agencies lack knowledge about.
According to Indian intelligence officers, the Karachi set-up, or the Karachi project of Pasha, was a plan to carry out a series of bomb attacks in India using local boys and leaders of homegrown terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM). One Colonel Shah of ISI was Pasha's supervisor, as per officials.
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Rana, 64, is also being questioned about those ISI and Pakistani army senior officers who exerted significant influence over the top brass of LeT, including Hafiz Saeed, according to Headley, a second source said.
The NIA arrested Rana after his extradition from the US on April 10 and is questioning him at their headquarters on Lodhi Road in Delhi.
The agency is also working on gathering more details from Rana about Abu Qahafa, Abu Alqama, Muzammil, Abu Anas, and Abu Hamza – other key figures involved in the November 26, 2008 attacks – based on Headley’s revelations.
Abu Qahafa was a senior LeT trainer in arms and explosives. He provided physical and technical training to the 10 terrorists. Abu Alqama, a senior LeT commander, was in charge of the Kashmir set-up until 2008 and was involved in training and briefing the 10 terrorists. Muzammil was a close buddy of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi (LeT's operations chief). Abu Anas was in charge of the LeT safehouse in Rawalpindi.
Headley's interrogation and assessment have revealed that all of these individuals were present in the Karachi control room and were in constant contact with the terrorists during the 26/11 attacks that claimed 166 lives and injured hundreds in Mumbai's heart.
- National Investigation Agency
- Tahawwur Rana
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Enrichment Insights:
While press reports don't offer explicit details about Karachi or Nepal-based structures of ISI or LeT since Rana's interrogation (as of April 2025), contextual analysis may provide the following insights:
- Role of Rana: He allegedly rendered logistical assistance for the 26/11 attackers, including visa fraud and communication setups, through collaboration with David Headley [1][3].
- Collaborative Links: Historically, LeT's operations (including the 26/11 attacks) have been traced back to ISI's S-Wing, which handles proxy militancy. Karachi serves as LeT's operational center, and details about the Karachi infrastructure remain elusive in the public domain after Rana's interrogation [1][5].
- Nepal's Involvement: Nepal has served as a transit point for terror financing and recruitment. Though Rana's potential knowledge of the Nepal-based structures is unconfirmed, past cases - such as Headley's use of Nepal for travel - suggest possible connections [^1^].
- Focus of NIA Investigation: The 18-day interrogation aims to uncover roles of other handlers, cross-border communication, funding, safe house arrangements, and legally admissible evidence to fortify India's case against state-sponsored terrorism [2][4][5].
- The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is currently questioning Tahawwur Rana about the Karachi and Nepal operations run by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), following Rana's confidante, David Coleman Headley, revealing these setups to the NIA.
- According to Indian intelligence officers, the Karachi set-up, run by Major Abdul Rehman Hashim Syed alias Pasha, was a plan to carry out a series of bomb attacks in India using local boys and leaders of homegrown terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM).
- Rana is also being questioned about those ISI and Pakistani army senior officers who exerted significant influence over the top brass of LeT, including Hafiz Saeed, according to Headley.
- The NIA is working on gathering more details from Rana about Abu Qahafa, Abu Alqama, Muzammil, Abu Anas, and Abu Hamza – other key figures involved in the November 26, 2008 attacks – based on Headley’s revelations.
- Headley's interrogation has revealed that all of these individuals were present in the Karachi control room and were in constant contact with the terrorists during the 26/11 attacks that claimed 166 lives and injured hundreds in Mumbai's heart.
