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Tahawwur Rana's status hearing adjourned

August 25, 2010 11:15 IST
The status hearing of Pakistani-Canadian terror suspect Tahawwur Rana, charged with conspiring in the Mumbai terror attacks of November 2008, was on Wednesday adjourned for four weeks.

"The hearing, originally scheduled for August 25, has now been shifted to September 20," Rana's attorney Patrick W Blegen told PTI.

In June, United States District Court Judge Harry Leinenweber rescheduled the trial hearing of Rana to February 14, 2011, from November 1, 2010.

The 49-year-old Rana was accused, along with Pakistani-American David Headley, in a 12-count superseding indictment for plotting the Mumbai terror attacks and providing material support to the Lashkar-e-Tayiba to carry out the assault that left 166 people dead.

Rana, a Chicago-based businessman, was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 15. He is also accused of plotting an attack on a Danish newspaper which published cartoons of Prophet Mohammed.

Rana has pleaded not guilty since his October 2009 arrest and claimed that he was duped by Headley.

However, according to Headley's plea agreement, he shared with Rana details of his trips to Pakistan and his association with the LeT. In turn, Rana extensively helped him carry out the attacks in Mumbai.

Rana also allowed Headley to use his immigration office -- First World Immigration Services -- as a cover while he scouted for terror targets in Mumbai, the plea agreement stated.

Headley had pleaded guilty in March to plotting the Mumbai terror attacks.

Himani Kumar in Chicago