- Canada is seeking to revoke the citizenship of Tahawwur Rana for alleged misrepresentation.
- The move comes ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s planned visit to India.
- Officials say Rana falsely claimed he lived in Canada continuously before gaining citizenship in 2001.
- He was extradited to India in April 2025 over alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
- Canada’s Federal Court will decide whether his citizenship was obtained through fraud.
Ahead of Canadian prime minister Mark Carney’s visit to India, the Canadian government is moving to revoke the citizenship of Pakistan-born businessman Tahawwur Rana, who is accused of playing a key role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Rana, 64, is a Canadian national originally from Pakistan and a close associate of David Coleman Headley, also known as Daood Gilani, a US citizen and one of the main conspirators in the attacks that killed 166 people.
According to documents obtained by Global News, Canadian immigration officials notified Rana that they intend to strip him of the citizenship he obtained in 2001. He immigrated to Canada in 1997 and was later convicted in the United States for plotting an attack on employees of a Danish newspaper.
Rana, described by Indian authorities as a mastermind of the 26/11 attacks, was extradited from the United States to India in April 2025. He was arrested by India’s National Investigation Agency upon arrival in New Delhi.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) stated that the revocation is not based on terrorism charges but on allegations that Rana lied on his citizenship application. When applying in 2000, he claimed to have lived in Ottawa and Toronto for the previous four years, leaving Canada for only six days.
However, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigation found that he had spent most of that period in Chicago, where he owned multiple properties and businesses, including an immigration firm and a grocery store.
In a letter dated May 31, 2024, IRCC accused Rana of “serious and deliberate deception,” stating that he misrepresented his residence history and failed to disclose his absences from Canada, leading officials to believe he had met residency requirements when he had not.
The government has referred the case to the Federal Court, which will determine whether his citizenship was obtained through false representation, fraud, or concealment of material facts.
Rana’s Toronto-based immigration lawyer has appealed the decision, arguing that it is unfair and violates his rights. A Federal Court hearing on the matter was held last week, and government lawyers have requested permission to withhold sensitive national security information from the proceedings.
An immigration department spokesperson said revoking citizenship for misrepresentation is essential to maintaining the integrity of Canadian citizenship. The spokesperson added that the government does not take such actions lightly and that the Federal Court has the final authority in these cases.
