Indian news reports have linked an American and a Canadian man to last year's deadly Mumbai attacks, weeks after the two men were arrested on terror charges in the United States.

The reports cite government sources and allege that Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian citizen living in Chicago, may have attempted to recruit terrorists in Mumbai.

They also suggest that David Headley -- Rana's alleged associate, who changed his name from Daood Gilani -- visited Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, all of which have nuclear installations. In India, Headley has also been accused of helping to plan out the Mumbai attacks.

Rana and Headley were arrested in Chicago late last month and have been accused of plotting terrorist attacks against overseas targets. The U.S. charges against Rana and Headley have not been proven in court.

Ten gunmen attacked Mumbai on Nov. 26 of last year, staging a deadly assault on India's financial capital.

More than 160 people were killed and only one gunman was captured alive by the time Indian commandos stormed the city's famous Taj Mahal Hotel three days later.

Former CSIS intelligence officer Michel Juneau-Katsuya said the militants that attacked Mumbai are not known to have visited the city before they arrived there last year.

Despite that, the militants "knew exactly what to do and where to go," Juneau-Katsuya explained to CTV News Channel during an interview from Ottawa on Tuesday morning.

That suggests they had been briefed on the city before they attacked it, and there is some suggestion that Rana and Headley could have been involved in this, said Juneau-Katsuya.

Headley, which were published in recent days, just as Prime Minister Stephen Harper began a three-day tour of the country.

Harper discussed the matter with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a Tuesday meeting in New Delhi. And he assured Indian officials that Canada would share its intelligence on the file involving Rana.

"Prime Minister Singh and I certainly discussed the case and resolved (to) work closely in the future and exchange information on these matters," Harper said.

Nuclear backstory

Harper met with Indian officials in New Delhi Tuesday, the second day of his trip, taking meetings with India's foreign minister, the vice-president, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, leader of the Indian National Congress Party.

The two countries have a fractured relationship because of previous nuclear issues, ever since India used Canadian-built reactors to develop a surreptitious nuclear arms program in the early 1970s.

India had pledged not to pursue nuclear weapons and the decision to negate that promise led to a two-decade-long chill between the two countries.

"We also have great faith, we are not living in the 1970s, this is 2009," Harper said.

To date, some critics charge that India will continue to boost its nuclear arsenal if civilian nuclear trade is renewed.

Earlier this year, the Harper government announced that it was pursuing renewed nuclear technology trade through a civilian commercial agreement with India. But that deal has still not been finalized and will not be signed this week.

Hugh MacDiarmid, the president and CEO of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., attended a luncheon meeting during Harper's India trip that also gathered Indian and Canadian nuclear business leaders and Indian government officials. The details of the meeting were not made available to reporters covering Harper's visit, nor was a photo opportunity arranged.

MacDiarmid told The Canadian Press that it is his impression that there are "no fundamental obstacles" remaining on the nuclear co-operation deal that is in the works.

While stressing that he is not privy to the negotiating details, MacDiarmid believes the remaining differences are "relatively modest and can be bridged."

He would not comment on whether Canada's prior relationship with India is complicating the ongoing negotiations.

"I'm a commercial guy running a business, I'm not a diplomat," he said.

Unofficial business

Outside of official business, Harper and his wife, Laureen, visited the memorial site to Mahatma Gandhi, also in New Delhi.

The prime minister signed a visitor's book and called Gandhi a "model for all humanity."

On Monday, the prime minister visited an Indian dance reality show, which some say is another sign that Harper is becoming more successful at showing his social side to Canadians.

"It was a great event," CTV's Graham Richardson told CTV's Canada AM during a telephone interview from Mumbai. "Here we are driving through Mumbai, and he's on stage with this wonderful dance troupe and it's just huge here, this kind of thing."

Harper's visit to India is also being watched by many people in Canada, where more than 1 million people claim Indian heritage.

"There's a large contingent of Indo-Canadians travelling with the prime minister, both media and delegates," Richardson said.

"The thinking is that they are going to spend a lot of time reporting on what he is doing here, reporting back home."

With files from The Canadian Press and a report from CTV's Graham Richardson