Germany: Man “planned chemical attack motivated by Islamist extremism”

An Iranian has been arrested on suspicion of planning a deadly chemical attack in Germany.

The suspect is accused of attempting to obtain cyanide and ricin while planning an Islamist-motivated major attack.

It is currently unclear if a target was chosen or how far along the alleged conspiracy had progressed.

Even small amounts of ricin can be fatal to an adult if eaten, injected, or inhaled.

Another person was arrested overnight in connection with the case in the town of Castrop-Rauxel, northwest of Dortmund.

A first house search did not reveal any toxins, the German news agency dpa told a spokesman for the Düsseldorf public prosecutor’s office.

Images released today show specialists in anti-contamination suits carrying potential evidence from a property.

The arrests came after authorities “received a serious tip that prompted the police to intervene that same night,” Herbert Reul, the state’s top security official, reportedly said.

According to the tabloid Bild, an Allied secret service handed over the information.

The dpa quoted an unidentified German security official as saying there was no evidence that the suspect acted on behalf of the Iranian state. Instead, he is said to have supported a Sunni extremist group.

Home Secretary Nancy Faser commented on the case with the words: “Our security services take all information about Islamist terrorist threats very seriously and act.”

Since the beginning of the century, 21 Islamist attacks have been prevented in Germany.

Further investigations by the Düsseldorf public prosecutor’s office will show whether the suspicion that triggered the police operation was justified, said Ms. Faser.

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