German police Sunday detained a 32-year-old man on the suspicion that he planned a serious chemical attack motivated by Islamic extremism. The man allegedly obtained the potent toxins cyanide and ricin. He and another person were arrested and detained in the town of Castrop-Rauxel, northwest of Dortmund.
The police allegedly received a tip from an allied intelligence agency that led them to intervene the same night. However, there was no clear indication that the man acted on behalf of the Iranian state. He is expected to face charges for the preparation of a serious act of violence endangering the state, which is punishable by a sentence of six months to ten years in prison.
Police raided the man’s home and found the biochemical toxins cyanide and ricin. Ricin, found naturally in castor beans, causes death 36 to 72 hours after exposure and has no known antidote. According to German media outlets on the scene, specialists wearing anti-contamination suits removed evidence from the home.