Chicago: The bail hearing of Tahawwur
Hussain Rana, a Pakistani-origin man in custody in the US on
charges of plotting terrorist attacks in India, scheduled at a
court here on Wednesday has been postponed till December 2.
Rana`s detention hearing before Magistrate Judge Nan
R Nolan has been moved to December 2 at the joint request of
the parties, a court official said. Rana`s hearing was
initially scheduled for November 10 and had been postponed to
November 19.
A Pakistan-born Canadian citizen, Rana, along with
David Coleman Headley, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation last month on charges of plotting terrorist
attacks in India and Denmark.
Headley and Rana are residents of the city, with Rana
running an immigration consultancy agency in Devon here.
Federal prosecutors have time till January 14 to file an
indictment case against Rana.
A Canadian national, Rana had made several trips to
India in the past several years along with his school-time
friend Headley, who has also been arrested on same charges.
Earlier, heeding to the request of the US Attorney
Patrick J Fitzgerald who had moved a petition in this regard
on Friday; Chief Justice James F Holderman of the US District
Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, on
November 17 extended the time to file the indictment against
Rana till January 14.
Earlier on October 30, the court had granted the
government`s unopposed motion with respect to 49-year-old
Headley, extending the time in which the government must seek
an indictment against him until January 1, 2010.
Moving the motion seeking extension of time, the US
attorney had said the federal prosecutors need more time to
complete the investigation. Investigations include the
interception of numerous telephone and email communications,
many of which were in a foreign language, he said.
"On October 18, federal agents executed four search
warrants at four separate locations, and, among other items of
evidence, seized a number of computers. Agents are diligently
examining the evidence, including that contained in the seized
computers," it said.
"Details concerning the investigation and the volume
and types of evidence recovered during this investigation are
stated in the Attachment hereto, which the government
respectfully requests be placed under seal. The government is
requesting that this Attachment be sealed so as not to
compromise the continuing investigation," the US attorney
had said.
"Additionally, further investigation regarding the
full scope of the two defendants’ activities is ongoing and
includes gaining assistance from foreign authorities," it
said.
Bureau Report
