Dr Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed, the prime accused in the alleged ricin terror plot under investigation by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), was injured on Tuesday following a clash inside Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Central Jail.
The incident took place less than 12 hours after Saiyed and two other suspects were shifted to the high-security facility under judicial custody.
Fight Broke Out Early in the Morning
Prison Superintendent Gaurav Agrawal said the scuffle erupted around 7 am inside the high-security enclosure where the three terror-accused inmates were lodged. The confrontation reportedly involved three local undertrial prisoners who were placed in the same section. What triggered the altercation remains unknown.
Saiyed Taken to Hospital, Declared Stable
Saiyed, also known as Jilani, sustained injuries in the fight and was taken to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital for examination. He was later brought back to the prison after doctors confirmed his condition was stable and he was not in danger.
The jail has informed local police about the incident, and an FIR is expected to be registered soon.
Arrested for Alleged Ricin Extraction Plot
An MBBS doctor originally from Hyderabad, Saiyed was arrested on 8 November along with Azad Suleman Sheikh and Mohammad Suhail Mohammad Saleem. According to the ATS, he attempted to derive the deadly chemical agent ricin from castor beans as part of what investigators have described as a planned “major terror attack” in India.
Investigators claim Saiyed had begun procuring equipment and raw materials, including castor oil, and had initiated early stages of chemical processing. During a search at his Hyderabad residence, officials said they recovered an unidentified chemical and other materials, which have been sent for forensic testing.
Similar raids in Uttar Pradesh at the homes of the two co-accused yielded no incriminating items. Authorities also said no connection has been found so far between Saiyed and the doctors arrested in the recent Delhi car blast case.
Weapons, Alleged Handler and Foreign Links
The ATS earlier stated that two Glock pistols, a Beretta pistol, 30 live cartridges and four litres of castor oil were seized from Saiyed. Investigators allege he was guided by a handler named Abu Khadija, an Afghanistan-based operative linked to the Islamic State Khorasan Province, and that he had also been in touch with individuals in Pakistan.
The other two accused allegedly procured weapons from Hanumangadh in Rajasthan and supplied them to him. All three men have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and the Arms Act. They were transferred to Sabarmati Central Jail after the completion of their police remand, the same high-security wing where Tuesday’s clash erupted.
