NIA takes over probe into ricin terror plot

The agency had booked the three under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, besides invoking the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act. The MHA has ordered the ATS to hand over the UAPA case concerning the ricin chemical plot to the NIA, SP (ATS) K Siddharth said.

Ricin is a highly poisonous substance that can be made from the waste material left over from processing castor beans.

Gujarat ATS, which was probing the case, arrested Dr Saiyed, originally from Hyderabad, near Adalaj in Gandhinagar on November 7 with two Glock pistols, a Beretta pistol, 30 live cartridges and four litres of castor oil, officials had earlier said.

The other accused, Sheikh and Saleem, both hailing from Uttar Pradesh, were arrested in Banaskantha district for allegedly supplying weapons to Dr Saiyed. The officials had then confirmed that Saiyed's handler, Abu Khadija, was from Afghanistan and associated with the ISKP (Islamic State Khorasan Province), and he had also been in contact with several individuals from Pakistan.

According to officials, Dr Saiyed, who earned his MBBS degree in China, had been preparing ricin to execute a major terrorist attack. He had already begun the necessary research, procured the equipment and raw materials, and initiated the initial chemical processing.