The Gujarat  Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested three men linked to ISIS, including a doctor who was allegedly preparing a deadly poison called ricin. Officials said the doctor had visited crowded areas in several cities as part of his plan to carry out a terror attack.

The doctor, identified as Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed, 35, is from Hyderabad and holds an MBBS degree from China. According to the ATS, he had been studying how to make ricin, a highly toxic substance made from the seeds of the castor plant. Even a small amount of ricin can be deadly if swallowed or inhaled. Though poisoning from ricin is rare and treatable if caught early, experts say it can be used as a dangerous weapon if prepared in concentrated form.

Investigators said Saiyed had conducted secret surveys of crowded public places, including Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi, Ahmedabad’s Naroda fruit market, and the RSS office in Lucknow, over the past six months. These places were chosen because they are usually packed with people, making them likely targets for an attack.

According to an official statement from the Gujarat ATS, Saiyed had already started research work to make the poison. He had also bought the necessary lab equipment and raw materials and begun early-stage chemical processing. “He was preparing a highly lethal poison named ‘Ricin’ and had initiated chemical procedures for its preparation,” the ATS said.

Along with Saiyed, two other men from Uttar Pradesh, Azad Suleman Sheikh and Mohammad Suhail Mohammad Saleem, were also arrested. The ATS said the three were part of a larger ISIS-linked network with sleeper cells spread across several Indian states.

Saiyed was reportedly in contact with Abu Khadim, a member of Islamic State–Khorasan Province (ISKP), which is an ISIS branch operating in South and Central Asia. The ATS and central agencies are now examining the seized materials, digital devices, and chemicals to find out whether ricin was already being made and where the ingredients came from.

Gujarat ATS DIG Sunil Joshi said, “Dr Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed is highly educated but deeply radicalised. He had planned to raise funds, recruit people, and carry out a major terrorist attack in India.”

The arrests have prevented what officials say could have been a major terror plot involving a chemical weapon. Investigations are still underway to find out how big the network is and whether more people are involved.