Iranian arrested in Germany on suspicion of preparing an Islamist chemical attack
BERLIN – An Iranian suspected of planning an “Islamist attack” using cyanide and ricin has been arrested in West Germany, police and prosecutors said Sunday.
The 32-year-old man was “suspected of preparing a serious violent act threatening the security of the state by obtaining cyanide and ricin in order to commit an Islamist attack,” police in Münster and Recklinghausen, along with Düsseldorf prosecutors, said. ” the office said in a statement.
But a search of the man’s residence in the town of Castrop-Rauxel found no evidence of toxic substances, Düsseldorf prosecutor Holger Heming told AFP.
Authorities received a “serious tip” that prompted the overnight raid on the regional interior minister in North Rhine-Westphalia, Herbert Reul said.
The arrest took place shortly before midnight on Saturday night, a police spokeswoman said.
According to local media reports, the raids were carried out by agents wearing protective suits against a perceived chemical hazard.
The German authorities were alerted to the risk of a “chemical bomb” attack a few days ago by a foreign intelligence service, the German newspaper Bild reported.
Ricin is a highly toxic substance that is classified as a “chemical weapon” in Germany. Like cyanide, ricin can be deadly.
In 2018, a Tunisian man and his wife were arrested on suspicion of planning a biological bomb attack in Germany.
A couple who sympathized with the Islamic State had 84 milligrams of ricin in their Cologne apartment. The man was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2020, and his wife an eight-year sentence.
Germany has been the target of several Islamist attacks in recent years, including a 2016 truck attack on a Christmas market that killed 12 people and injured dozens.
A 13th victim died five years later after suffering serious injuries in the attack.
