Rana’s Bail Plea Dismissed Again
A US court has dismissed again the bail plea of Pakistani born Canadian national and suspected Lashkar operative Tahawwur Hussain Rana, citing that he is charged with ‘very serious crimes’ which give a motive to flee, said media reports.
According to reports, an order by Judge Harry Leinenweber of US District Court, Northern District of Illinois, read: “Defendant Rana’s motion to revoke Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan’s detention order is denied.”
Since his arrest last year, Rana, who is accused of plotting attacks in India and Denmark, had made many pleas for release on bond, contending that he was ‘duped’ by Pakistan-born American Laskhar operative David Coleman Headley.
“The evidence in the form of recorded conversations, while not conclusive, appears to corroborate the Government’s contention that he was a knowing ally of Headley and had been acquainted in advance of the Mumbai attacks,” the court was quoted as saying.
The court also observed that the more serious charges if proved would without doubt result in a higher sentence and that Rana had not ‘rebutted the presumptions’.
“Rana has been indicted of very serious crimes which is sufficient itself to trigger probable cause of his guilt which establishes the reputable presumption of a danger to the community,” the court was quoted as saying.
“Rana basically nitpicks at the evidence cited by the Government which ties him to the conspiracies in Mumbai and Denmark and fails to rebut the presumption created by the indictment in this case. The short of the matter is that the case against Rana is now much more serious than it stood when Magistrate Judge Nolan made her ruling,” the court was quoted as saying.
Rana may be sentenced to life imprisonment if convicted and he has claimed that to a 48-year-old man, a life sentence is no more serious than facing a 30-year jail, he was quoted as saying.
“Nevertheless it certainly would not make him less likely to flee,” the court was quoted as responding to his contention.
(Based on media reports)
