Medical Professionals Arrested in Foiled Terror Plots: Explosives and Ricin Found

Adil Ahmad Rather, the J&K doctor from whom explosives and assault rifles were recovered.

New Delhi:

This week, security forces prevented two potential terror attacks following the arrests of medical professionals - one operation conducted by Jammu and Kashmir Police in Faridabad near Delhi, and another by Gujarat Police's Anti-Terror Squad in Hyderabad.

In the first case, authorities arrested two doctors - Adil Ahmed Rather and Mujammil Shakeel - and seized a significant cache of explosives, including ammonium nitrate, along with detonators and two assault rifles with ammunition. Investigators are also examining the involvement of a third medical professional, an unidentified woman whose vehicle was used to store weapons and ammunition.

In the second case, Dr. Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed, who claims to have obtained his medical degree from China, was apprehended with three handguns and 30 bullets. Gujarat Police's Anti-Terror Squad also discovered four liters of castor oil, a substance used to manufacture the deadly toxin ricin.

These incidents have triggered heightened alertness among national intelligence and security agencies, particularly as officials discovered Saiyed's connections to the Islamic State-Khorasan Province, a regional affiliate of ISIS that has been implicated in numerous mass casualty events.

In October, an intelligence document reviewed by NDTV revealed a clandestine partnership between the outlawed Pakistan-based terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba and ISKP, an alliance orchestrated and funded by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.

The Faridabad Terror Plot

On Sunday night, a Jammu and Kashmir Police team seized 350kg of ammonium nitrate - a colorless, white chemical compound capable of causing massive explosions under specific conditions.

The discovery was based on intelligence provided by Rather, a Kashmiri doctor arrested for allegedly placing posters supporting Jaish-e-Mohammed, another Pakistan-based terrorist group, throughout Srinagar.

Adil Ahmed Rather, the J&K 'doctor' from whom weapons and explosives were confiscated.

The materials - which included 20 timers, firearms, and ammunition - were found with another doctor, Shakeel, employed at Al-Falah Hospital in Faridabad.

Rather had worked at the Government Medical College in J&K's Anantnag until last year.

An assault rifle was discovered in his locker at the college, according to police.

The intended target of Rather and Shakeel's planned attack remains unclear.

However, several concerning questions must be addressed, including how they acquired such a substantial quantity of ammonium nitrate, which is a regulated substance, and how it was transported to Delhi.

What has emerged is an alarming white-collar network of terrorism extending from J&K into the national capital and beyond. Security agencies are now also tracking financial flows.

The Ricin Poison Plot

In this case, Saiyed's handler has established connections to the ISKP terror module.

The doctor was allegedly producing the highly lethal chemical for a potential attack on sensitive locations in either Delhi, Lucknow, or Ahmedabad, according to a senior Gujarat ATS officer on Sunday.

Ricin is a toxic substance derived from waste material produced during castor bean processing.

Locations in all three cities had been surveilled by Saiyed's two accomplices - Azad Suleman Sheikh and Mohammad Suhail Mohammad Saleem - both of whom have been detained.

The accused also admitted to receiving weapons shipments from Pakistan via drone deliveries.

When Saiyed was apprehended last week near Adalaj in Gandhinagar, he possessed two Glock semi-automatic pistols and a Beretta pistol, along with castor oil.

Sources informed NDTV that Saiyed was affiliated with several terrorist organizations operating through encrypted messaging platforms like Telegram and was communicating with an Afghanistan-based handler named Abu Khadija.

Currently, it remains unclear whether the ricin attack was directed or inspired by ISKP.