Hyderabad Doctor's Arrest Shows Danger of Bio Weapons
Saiyed, who hails from Khammam, was held with castor oil which is used to make ricin, which is a Category B agent that is moderately easy to disseminate according to the US Centers for Disease Control.
Hyderabad: The discovery that Hyderabad-based doctor Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed, arrested by the Gujarat Anti Terror Squad (ATS) on Sunday, was preparing the highly poisonous ricin was a chilling reminder that bio-weapons and radical networks were merging, a Central agency official told Deccan Chronicle.
Saiyed, who hails from Khammam, was held with castor oil which is used to make ricin, which is a Category B agent that is moderately easy to disseminate according to the US Centers for Disease Control. The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) lists ricin as a Schedule 1 toxic chemical under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which regulates its production, possession, and use. Ricin is also a prohibited substance under the Biological Weapons Convention.
There is no known antidote to ricin and treatment is based on symptoms. Inhaling ricin causes difficulty in breathing and nausea; ingesting it causes diarrhoea and vomiting.
The Central agencies confirmed that Saiyed was settled in Tolichowki. His associates from Uttar Pradesh, also arrested on Sunday, confessed that they were not aware that Saiyed had been scouting potential targets, an intelligence officer disclosed.
“Our officials coordinated Gujarat ATS during the investigation. Data collected from Saiyed’s mobile phone confirmed that he was linked with international terrorist outfits that include AQIS (Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent ) including Afghanistan-based Abu Khadija, said to be a prominent leader of the Islamic State Khorasan Province,” the official said.
It is suspected that Khadija was the mastermind behind giving the chemical bomb formula and organising sleeper cells in Delhi. Saiyed, who has a Chinese medical degree, has reportedly confessed to links with Abu Khadija.
The Gujarat ATS on Monday filed a police custody request petition with a special court in Ahmedabad, and will be probing with the trio’s links with International terrorists.
The Gujarat ATS intercepted a car with AP registration at the Adalaj toll plaza near Ahmedabad, driven by Saiyed. “During searches we found a backpack with three Glock and Beretta pistols and 30 live cartridges. These are advanced weapons used NSG commandos for VVIP security,” Sunil Joshi, DIG, Gujarat ATS, told the media on Monday.
Sources said the AQIS had intensified its propaganda activities in India. Following a controversial statement on the Prophet, the AQIS had issued a threatening letter that had put the intelligence agencies on high alert. The agencies have informed Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat to remain alert.
Sources said Saiyed had disclosed that he had conducted surveillance tours of crowded places of Delhi, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. The arrested have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, and the Arms Act.
Dr Ravinuthala Shasidhar, chairman, Telangana Anti Terrorist Forum (ATF). said “Telangana, especially Hyderabad, has become a target for terrorists.” He accused the local police of failure to take action against terror suspects till the police of other states and national investigation agencies arrest the them.
