Status: 08.01.2023 03:38
Anti-terror investigators have arrested a man in the Ruhr area who is said to have prepared an Islamist attack. According to the Attorney General’s Office, the Iranian national is said to have procured several toxins for this purpose.
In Castrop-Rauxel in the northern Ruhr area, anti-terrorist investigators arrested a 32-year-old man and searched his apartment. The Iranian national is said to have planned an Islamist attack.
The man is suspected of having obtained the toxins cyanide and ricin for the crime, said the Düsseldorf public prosecutor, the Recklinghausen police and the Münster police. It was initially unclear how far the attack plans had progressed and whether there was already a concrete target for the attack.
According to the Robert Koch Institute, ricin is included in the war weapons list under “biological weapons”. It is made from the seeds of the castor bean plant. Depending on the type of exposure, the infectious disease is fatal – after just 36 to 72 hours. There is no specific antidote. Cyanide is also highly toxic, even the smallest amounts are fatal to humans.
Preparation of a “serious crime”
“The accused is suspected of having prepared a serious act of violence that is dangerous to the state,” the investigators said. “The search serves to find corresponding toxins and other evidence.”
The man and another person were taken into custody. Neither of them resisted. “Evidence has been secured and is being evaluated.” It has not yet been decided whether the suspect will be brought before a magistrate.
Police in large numbers on site
Police, fire brigade and rescue workers were on site with a large contingent. Numerous emergency services wore protective suits, as a reporter from the dpa news agency reported.
The area around the stormed apartment was cordoned off. A decontamination point has been set up at the Recklinghausen fire brigade, the “Ruhr Nachrichten” reported. Emergency services in protective suits took care of the items that had been seized and that had been brought to the fire brigade in blue drums.
According to media reports, the Federal Criminal Police Office has been investigating the Iranian for several days. According to “Bild”, a “friend of the secret service” is said to have warned the German security authorities about the danger of a chemical bomb attack.