ISI's Two-Front Terror War: North India Blasts, South India Poison Plot

The Faridabad module that executed the Delhi Red Fort blast had managed to stock up close to 3,000 kilograms of ammonium, thus indicating the scale at which the attacks were planned.

Down south, another deadly terror plot was in the making. The Gujarat Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested Hyderabad resident, Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed (35), on charges of plotting a ricin terror strike.

While the Faridabad module is linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammad, the ricin plot is part of a plan plotted by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).

Both these terror groups act on the instructions of the ISI. Intelligence Bureau officials said that if one analyses both the cases, it is clear that the ISI wanted to wreak havoc not just in North India, but down South as well.

Officials said that Pakistan's game plan is to exploit the fault lines.

In North India, it seeks to play the Muslim atrocity card, and in South India, the language card.

The ISKP had planned to carry out a ricin terror attack with the intention of separating South from North.

Several parties in South India have tried to exploit the language card and have very often, without proof, claimed that the BJP is trying to impose Hindi in the southern states.

The ISI has picked up on this issue and is trying to convey the message through groups such as the ISKP that South India has to be separated from North India. Just like the Faridabad module, the ISKP operative Saiyed was being handled by a person based out of Afghanistan. This is once again a ploy of the ISI to avoid scrutiny, and hence, it ensured handlers from Afghanistan carried out all operations.

According to the FIR, Saiyed was being handled by one Abu Khadija from Afghanistan. He had repeatedly told Saiyed that South India has to be separated from North India.

Officials say that both plans were big in nature. Had they gone as per plan, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

In the Faridabad case, the plan was to carry out blasts across North India.

Counter-terrorism officials said that the more challenging plan to deal with would have been the ricin plan that was being hatched with South India in mind.

The probe by the Gujarat ATS found that Khadija had instructed Saiyed and his accomplices to kill as many people as possible.

Saiyed went on to purchase 10 kilograms of castor seeds. He used a cold-press machine to extract the oil. He told the investigators and then mixed it with acetone. He stored the ricin poison in a drum after that.

Saiyed and his handler have been planning this operation for several months now. From speaking about the so-called oppression of Muslims in India, they also discussed the language row. This could be one of the reasons why Sayyed's plan included the separation of South India from the rest of India.

Investigators are probing whether Saiyed had planned on poisoning the water bodies, especially those used for drinking water. It is highly potent, and if consumed, a person could either have prolonged illness or die from multiple organ failure.

Experts said that death from lethal doses could take place within 36 to 72 hours. What makes this weapon even more lethal is that there is no specific antidote, and a person affected would need to be managed with supportive medical care.

However, the chance of survival is extremely bleak. This has been part of the ISKP's plan for a long time, and the Intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned that such groups would look to launch bioterror in India.

Investigators are also digging deeper into the Pakistan link. Such major plots, such as the ricin terror module and the Faridabad module, could not have been planned on such a major scale if they lacked institutional support from Pakistan.

It is clear that Pakistan deployed two different terror modules for North and South India and wanted attacks on such a huge scale that the entire nation would be terrified, an official said.

- IANS