New Delhi, April 12, 2025 – The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is zeroing in on a shadowy figure—a “Dubai man”—who allegedly met Tahawwur Rana days before the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166, fresh leads from Rana’s ongoing interrogation reveal. Extradited from the US on Thursday, Rana’s spilling details under 18-day custody, with US-shared records pointing to this mystery contact who knew the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) plot was coming, per NDTV.
Rana, 64, a Pakistan-born Canadian, bankrolled David Headley’s Mumbai recces via his Chicago firm, setting the stage for LeT’s 60-hour assault on Taj Mahal Palace, CST, and more. Now, NIA’s digging into a November 2008 Dubai meet—Rana’s chat with this figure, flagged in FBI intercepts, hints at wider conspiracies (The Indian Express). “He’s not a ghost—we’ll name him,” an NIA source told The Hindu. The agency’s cross-referencing calls and emails, with Headley’s 2016 depo naming ISI’s Major Iqbal and Sameer Ali as Rana’s pals.
Why Dubai? It’s no shock—Headley used it as a hub, and Rana’s office lease in Mumbai, dropped in November 2008, smells like a cover (Times of India). Posts on X buzz with fury—“Dubai’s hiding LeT snakes!”—but some urge caution: “Intel first, then act.” The NIA’s also probing other cities—Delhi, Kochi—for 26/11-style plans, fearing Rana’s web stretched far (The Economic Times).
