‘Black flag, digital literature’ found from Lakhimpur Kheri home of Ricin plot accused

On Friday, the ATS released photographs of the flag which had inscriptions in Arabic – four lines in white on a field of black. Another virtual flag was also found as a masthead on one of Saiyed’s social media accounts. These images went viral on social media with claims that they were flags of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Social media users wrote that the top line notably appears to be similar in content to flags of various terrorist groups. One of the factors that influenced this perception was a statement from the ATS mentioning that Saiyed’s handler – a man named Abu Khadija from Afghanistan – is believed to be associated with Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), a Central Asian branch of ISIS.

The Gujarat ATS hasn’t officially established any conclusive evidence on the association of the trio with any major terrorist organisation.

Regarding the flag seized from Suhail’s home, sources told The Indian Express, “It is just a flag with religious connotations. It has to do with the belief, an interpretation of a hadith (quotes of Prophet Muhammad) that there will be a ghazwa-e-hind (battle in the Indian subcontinent) where the righteous will ride horses and carry black flags. This concept is frequently invoked by multiple terror groups.”

Apart from the flag, the Gujarat ATS found some literature pertaining to “How to Stay Anonymous”, and another PDF titled, “Security and intelligence course by a mujahid brother Abu Abdullah bin Adam”. Sources in the ATS said this literature had been sent to Saiyed by his handler for tips on “how to avoid detection by intelligence and law enforcement agencies”.

The ATS has also shared CCTV footage of Saiyed’s movements around Hotel Grand Ambience in Mirzapur area of Ahmedabad City before his arrest.

Ricin Investigation

The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Gujarat has not yet completed the chemical analysis of the suspect liquid and other materials seized from Saiyed’s home in Hyderabad. Officials said while this investigation has been accorded top priority, FSL researchers want to be completely sure of the makeup and potential of the chemicals.

The ATS had not found any Castor Beans (Ricinus communis) – used to process Ricin – at the home of Saiyed, but had found several kgs of Castor Beans mash that is leftover waste after oil is extracted from them. It is this waste that is developed into Ricin, the toxin for which there is currently no antidote anywhere in the world. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ricin is listed in Schedule-1 of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

While the Gujarat ATS had found 4 litres of Castor Oil from the car being driven by Saiyed at the time of his arrest, sources have told The Indian Express that the oil was from 1.5 kg of Castor Beans and the waste mash from that batch had been recovered at his home.

The case so far

The ATS had on November 8 arrested Saiyed, Azad Suleman Sheikh and Mohammad Suhail Mohammad Saleem Khan, and declared Abu Khadija wanted. All were booked under sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act. The ATS had seized two Glock pistols, one Beretta pistol, 30 live cartridges, and 4 litres of castor oil stored in a 10-liter plastic container from Saiyed. Meanwhile, Shaikh and Khan are accused of not only receiving the weapons from Pakistan, but also allegedly reconnoitring the RSS office in Lucknow, the Azadpur vegetable Mandi in Delhi and the Naroda fruit market in Ahmedabad as possible sites of a terror attack. On November 18, about 12 hours after being sent to judicial custody at Sabarmati Central Jail, main accused Saiyed was injured after a violent altercation with three other undertrial prisoners.