Canada struggles to revoke Tahawwur Rana’s citizenship despite 26/11 links

Despite being convicted on terrorism-related charges and extradited to India, the Canadian government is reportedly still struggling to revoke the citizenship of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, one of the accused conspirators in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, as per reports. 

The delay has largely been attributed to changes made to Canada’s citizenship laws under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which removed terrorism as a direct ground for revoking citizenship.

According to reports, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has approached a federal court seeking cancellation of Rana’s citizenship, but the matter remains unresolved. Rana, a former Pakistan Army captain, had worked closely with David Headley, who is currently imprisoned in the United States for his role in the Mumbai attacks.

Since terrorism can no longer be used as a legal basis to strip citizenship, Canadian authorities are now attempting to prove that Rana obtained citizenship fraudulently. Rana became a Canadian citizen in May 2001 after claiming residency in Ottawa in his application. However, an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police reportedly found that he had spent most of that period living in Chicago, United States, according to reports.

Reports suggest that citizenship revocation cases in Canada often take several years to conclude, and proceedings against Rana are believed to have started in May 2024.

Rana, 65, was sentenced in the United States in 2013 and extradited to India in April 2025, where he remains in custody in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166 people.