The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday said it has filed a chargesheet against three accused linked to ISIS terror group in a jihadi bio-terrorism plot aimed at carrying out mass poisoning of innocent people in public places in India.
Among the people named in the chargesheet, filed before a special court in Ahmedabad, are the main accused – a Hyderabad-based doctor, Syed Ahmed Mohiuddin, and two residents of Uttar Pradesh – Azad and Muhammad Sohail.
“Acting under the direction of foreign mentors associated with ISIS, the defendants worked in a coordinated manner to recruit vulnerable youth who were radicalized by handlers to support jihad and spread terror through illegal banned weapons and bioterrorism. They planned to use ricin – a powerful biotoxin found naturally in castor oil seeds and listed in Schedule I of the Chemical Weapons Convention – to carry out the nefarious agenda of the Islamic State,” the NIA said in a statement.
The case was originally registered by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad, following the arrest of Dr Mohiuddin, an MBBS holder from China, after he was caught at a toll plaza carrying illegal weapons, a bottle containing four liters of castor oil and other incriminating materials in his car in November 2025.
Investigations conducted by the Counter-Terrorism Department led to the arrest of the other accused on the same day. It was revealed that Azad and Sohail had earlier picked up parcels of money and illegal prohibited weapons from a drop dead site in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, and dropped them at a site in Chatral, Gujarat for pick-up by Moinuddin.
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“After taking over the investigation in January 2026, the NIA found that Moinuddin was involved in a conspiracy by his handler on the promise of becoming the Emir of ISIS in South Asia. He had converted his residence in Hyderabad into a secret laboratory to prepare ricin from castor seeds,” the NIA said.
Investigations revealed that the other defendants knowingly participated in the conspiracy by communicating with dealers, receiving and using proceeds of terrorism, conducting reconnaissance, taking the oath of allegiance, and collecting illegal weapons and ammunition, according to the agency.
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The report stated that Suhail served as “the crucial link between the dealer and the other defendants in the field of recruitment, coordination, and handling of funds and weapons shipments. He received and distributed funds, conducted reconnaissance, handled and transported illegal weapons, registered the pledge of allegiance, and prepared ISIS flags.”
