Dr. Ishtiaq Ali Saaem, 37, a Bangladeshi National

“Mahaprasad” or “prasad” consists of a large number of food items that are offered to the gods in Hindu temples and then consumed by worshippers. This particular poisoning plot was the work of the Islamic State, which, although largely driven out of its former caliphate in Iraq and Syria, is busy trying to murder large numbers of infidels elsewhere. Zee News continued: “The day when the suspects planned to poison the prasad, it was consumed by at least 40,000 devotees.”

Al-Qaeda has long considered the contamination of food as a jihad mass murder tactic. And in 2017, the Islamic State called on Muslims to poison food in Western supermarkets. This kind of poisoning has actually happened at least twice in Britain: in February 2008, according to the Evening Standard, “two shop-owners were today fined for selling chocolate cake – which had been sprinkled with human faeces. A horrified customer ate the foul-smelling gateaux but noticed that it didn’t taste or smell ‘quite right’ and handed the cake to public health scientists. The analysts soon established that the sweet treat was covered in faeces and legal proceedings against the shop owners were started.”

One of the shop owners Saeed Hasmi, pleaded guilty, but insisted: “It was not our fault but I don’t want to talk about it.” He didn’t explain whose fault it was, or why it was done. And in March 2009, the Hamilton Spectator reported that a Muslim woman named Mastoora Qezil “has been charged with allegedly inserting 13 sewing needles into packages of meat products found in a grocery store…. Thirteen needles of various lengths were found inserted in 12 packaged products.”

The following month, the BBC reported that “a chemist who contaminated food and wine in Gloucestershire supermarkets with his own urine and faeces has been sent to prison for nine years.” A “right-wing extremist”? No: “Sahnoun Daifallah, 42, of Bibury Road, Gloucester, was found guilty of four counts of contaminating goods at four businesses in May 2008.” At Daifallah’s hearing, Judge Carol Hagen said that he was “a potentially very dangerous man.”

These media reports didn’t connect Hasmi, Qezil, or Daifallah with the global jihad, but it couldn’t be denied that they were furthering jihadist goals: al-Qaeda has long considered the contamination of food as a jihad mass murder tactic.

We also know that jihadis have long wanted to poison the water supply, as they also did in this case. As far back as 2002, the feds arrested two jihadis who were carrying plans about how to poison water supplies. In 2003, al-Qaeda threatened to poison water supplies in Western countries. In 2011, a jihadi in Spain likewise planned to poison water supplies.

And in May 2013, seven Muslim “chemical engineers” were caught trespassing at the Quabbin Reservoir, a key supply of water for Boston, after midnight. Only months later and indirectly did we hear that it was a “criminal matter.” A month later, locks were cut at the aqueduct that supplies water to Greater Boston.

Also in May 2013, jihadists were caught in Canada who had considered poisoning air and water to murder up to 100,000 people. In October 2013, the FBI was investigating a possible water supply threat in Wichita. In January 2014, a Muslim broke into a water treatment plant in New Jersey.