Al-Qaeda man in Tihar jail seeks court's nod to work as doctor, help prison authorities deal with COVID-19 cases

New Delhi: An alleged Al-Qaeda member who is a doctor and lodged in Tihar jail, moved a Delhi court on Thursday seeking permission to assist the prison authorities to deal with the COVID-19 cases. In an application before Special Judge Dharmender Rana on Wednesday, the accused, Sabeel Ahmed, submitted that his experience and expertise as a medical professional would be helpful in dealing with the surge in COVID-19 cases and treatment of inmates in the central jail. Ahmed, member of banned terrorist outfit Al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-Continent (AQIS), was arrested on 22 February by the special cell of Delhi Police, for allegedly providing logistic and financial assistance to other members of the organisation in India and abroad. Ahmed’s advocate MS Khan sought a direction to the jail superintendent for allowing he accused to assist the jail administration. “It is pertinent to mention herein that accused is a qualified MBBS doctor with seven years of experience in treatment of critical cases. “His experience and expertise being a medical professional would be helpful for dealing with the surge in COVID cases and treatment of inmates in central jail, Tihar,” the application said. “It is, therefore, most respectfully and in the interest of justice prayed that directions may be issued to the jail superintendent for allowing the accused to assist the jail administration in for medical purposes on such terms and conditions as may be deemed fit and proper," it added. He is also an accused in suicidal terror attack at Glasgow Airport (United Kingdom) on 30 June, 2007. He was deported from Saudi Arabia on 2 August, 2020 and was taken into custody by NIA in another terror case lodged in Bengaluru. His custody was later taken by the special cell of Delhi Police in the present matter on 22 February.