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OPINION NOVEMBER 21, 2025 | The Indian Eye 10

Ricin Threat and

the Jihadist Conspiracy

against India

Ricin-related terror plots have never occurred in India before. The recent discovery by the Gujarat

police marks India’s first confirmed seizure of the Ricin toxin intended for subversive activities

ANIMESH ROUL

he Gujarat Police’s Anti-Ter-
rorism Squad (ATS) on 8 No-
Tvember 2025 arrested Ahmed
Mohiyuddin Saiyed, a doctor from
Hyderabad (Telangana), along with
firearms and nearly 4 kg of cas-
tor-bean mash, which is used to ex-
tract ricin, a bio-toxin, at Adalaj toll
plaza on Ahmedabad–Mehsana Road
in Gandhinagar. His call records led
to the arrest of two Uttar Pradesh
residents, Azad Suleman Sheikh and
Mohammad Saleem Khan, in Banas-
kantha, Gujarat.
Initial investigation indicated that
Saiyed had been in contact with one
Abu Khadija, a Pakistan-based opera-
tive linked to Islamic State-Khurasan
Province (ISKP), a transnational ji-
hadist group. Saiyed, a China-trained
physician, was manufacturing large
quantities of ricin, possibly for mass
poisoning. He conducted reconnais- The recent ricin terror plot shows how ideological zeal and pseudo-scientific ambitions continue to drive jihadist experiments in India, even
sance at several security-sensitive sites when the results are predictably ineffective (IDSA)
in Lucknow, Delhi and Ahmedabad.
The Gujarat Ricin plot involved the toxin’ well-known for its high toxicity. manuals circulated by Al-Qaeda and ganizations. However, an individual
bio-terror links of radicalized individ- Still, it has a low technical barrier for ISIS channels. Despite its notoriety, scientist or doctor with access to such
uals with cross-border operatives. It crude extraction from castor beans. ricin’s practical use as a biological or facilities could potentially develop
reflects the ISKP’s broader strategy of Regulatory oversight on ricin control chemical weapon remains very lim- the biotoxin. Ricin is unstable above
using skilled individuals for low-cost, remains strict. Under the CWC, it has ited. So far, no terrorist group has 60°C, degrades quickly in moist air,
high-impact attacks. no legitimate large-scale use outside managed to produce weapon-grade and needs advanced lyophilization to
of research or defense. The United ricin (more than 95 per cent purity). remain viable as an aerosol. Even in
INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS Nations Security Council Resolution All known plots, from Al-Qaeda’s small amounts, its spread is inefficient;
OF ‘SCARE CHEMICAL’ (UNSCR) 1540 and national laws experiments in the early 2000s to the nearly four tons of aerosolized ricin
such as India’s Weapons of Mass De- Islamic State’s efforts, involved only would be required to match the killing
icin (from castor beans/Ric- struction Act (2005) also ban the pro- crude brown mash with less than 5 per power of just one kilogram of anthrax.
inus communis) remains ap- duction or possession of any biotoxin cent active toxin, incapable of causing
Rpealing to extremist groups by non-state actors. mass harm. MAJOR RICIN INCIDENTS
more for its symbolic and psycholog- Even with the regulatory prohibi- Weaponization requires not only (1978–2025)
ical significance than for its actual le- tions in place, terrorists and criminal biochemical expertise but also a Bio-
thality. Classified by the US Centers gangs are drawn to it because of its safety Level 3 (BSL-3) facility, chro- etween 1978 and 2025, over 40
for Disease Control and Prevention easy availability, simplicity of process- matography purification systems, ricin-related plots or incidents
(CDC) as a Category B bioterrorism ing, and its reputation as a ‘scare chem- and reliable aerosol delivery systems. Bhave been documented world-
agent and listed under Schedule 1 of ical’. The toxin’s notoriety stems from These resources are clearly beyond wide. However, none have resulted
the Chemical Weapons Convention its use in Cold War assassinations, and the reach of most non-state actors, in mass casualties. Ricin’s repeated
(CWC), ricin is a typical ‘bio-chemical its frequent appearance in extremist like terrorist groups or criminal or- Continued on next page... >>

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