AHMEDABAD: Acting on specific intelligence about a plot to launch terror strikes across India, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested three persons, including a Hyderabad doctor in possession of 4 litres of castor oil, believed to be an ingredient of ricin, a highly toxic poison.
The ATS also found the doctor, Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed (35) in possession of two Glock pistols, one Beretta pistol, and 30 live cartridges.
After analysing Saiyed's mobile phone data, ATS teams detained two more accused - Azad Suleman Sheikh (20), a tailor from Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, and Mohammad Suhail Mohammad Saleem Khan (23), a student from Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh.
Both were caught in Banaskantha district for allegedly assisting Saiyed and supplying him with firearms and cartridges.
The arrests followed an operation led by deputy superintendent of police S L Chaudhary, who received confidential information about Saiyed's movements in Ahmedabad.
A silver hatchback was intercepted at the Adalaj toll plaza on the Ahmedabad-Mehsana Road, and ATS officers found Saiyed inside the vehicle.
According to ATS officers, Saiyed was in contact with a handler named Abu Khadija, an Afghanistan-based operative linked to the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP).
Preliminary interrogation revealed that Saiyed began preparing ricin after procuring materials and conducting chemical research. He also allegedly maintained contact with individuals from Pakistan and obtained his MBBS degree from China.
'Terror accused recced RSS offices' A medical degree, a restaurant business and the lethal weapon for mass casualties. The main accused in the terror plot may have been masterminding a bigger, deadlier plot.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) have said that the arrest of three men for their alleged links to the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) have uncovered a dangerous conspiracy and complex network.
Two of the accused from Uttar Pradesh had conducted reconnaissance of several religious and organisational buildings, including RSS offices, in Ahmedabad, Delhi, and Lucknow to assess security arrangement and crowd patterns, digital and human surveillance has revealed, a senior ATS officer said.
Among the arms seized is another natural 'weapon' - ricin - a lethal poison that is extracted from castor beans.
"We have come to know that they were planning to launch attacks on RSS offices and other places of religious importance. Although no specific target was finalized, they were gathering details of several sites," the officer said.
Hyderabad-based doctor Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed, the main accused, had prepared a quantity of ricin, and was awaiting instructions from his Pakistan-based handlers to use it in a terror strike, possibly for mass casualties, the ATS officer said.
The accused studied medicine in China, spoke several languages, and was influenced by ISKP's online propaganda.
Details have emerged that Saiyed earlier ran a restaurant business, where he stocked castor seeds, which he later used to make ricin. ATS officials said further investigations are underway to trace funding sources, possible local links, and identify other members associated with the module.
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