Amidst the Delhi terror blast probe, the Gujarat Anti-Terror Squad has unearthed a bio-terror plot from Hyderabad, which involves the use of a lethal toxin called Ricin.
On Tuesday night, the Gujarat ATS carried out a raid at the house of a Rajendranagar-based doctor who was arrested in Gandhinagar on November 9.
Dr Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed was apprehended when he was approaching the Adalaj Toll Plaza on the Ahmedabad-Mehsana Road, carrying arms and toxic chemicals.
The ATS recovered two Glock pistols, one Beretta pistol, 30 live cartridges, and nearly four litres of castor oil, which is needed to produce Ricin.
Following Sayied’s arrest, two of his aides, identified as Azad Suleman Sheikh and Mohammed Suhail Mohammad Saleem, were taken into custody from Uttar Pradesh.
The Nov 9 arrests later led the Gujarat ATS to carry out raids at Saiyed’s Hyderabad house on Tuesday, from where they seized unidentified chemicals and raw material.
Gujarat arrest led to Hyderabad raid
The security officials have also questioned the accused’s family members, who reportedly said that they were unaware of Saiyed’s activities.
While an official statement is awaited on the details of the alleged bio-terror plot, the Indian Express, quoting sources, claimed that it was foiled before 36-year-old Saiyed could execute his plan.
Saiyed was reportedly a member of a suspected terror module, different from the Faridabad one. He was allegedly preparing Ricin to carry out large-scale attacks.
During questioning, Saiyed reportedly told the officers that they had not yet planned that far ahead and were still trying to isolate Ricin from castor oil that was seized in Ahmedabad.
Also, no radicalisation literature in physical form or in their phones has been found as of yet, reported the Indian Express.
Links to Red Fort blast?
The Gujarat ATS are also on the lookout for any other members of this module.
It is being claimed that Saiyed had a handler named Abu Khadija, who is associated with the terror group, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).
Also, the officers have not yet found any connection to the Delhi–Haryana terror module that is responsible for the Red Fort blast that happened on Monday.
Saiyed, who holds an MBBS degree from China, remains in custody as investigations into his suspected network and the extent of the planned operation continue.
