German counter-terrorism investigators have arrested a 32-year-old man believed to have planned a chemical attack. The man, of Iranian nationality, was arrested in Castrop-Rauxel, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, on the border with the Netherlands. A second person was also arrested. It is not known how this person would be involved.
The 32-year-old Iranian is suspected of having obtained the toxins cyanide and ricin, the Düsseldorf prosecutor’s office, the Recklinghausen police and the Münster police said in a joint statement in the night between Saturday and Sunday. Ricin is a highly toxic biological weapon.
Authorities searched the suspect’s home in Castrop-Rauxel, about 15 kilometers northwest of Dortmund, on Saturday evening. A large area around the house has been cordoned off. According to a reporter from the German Press Agency DP extension aid workers wore protective suits.
The German newspaper Bild reports that the federal investigation would have traced the suspect after a tip from a foreign intelligence service. According to the newspaper, “a friendly secret service” has warned German security authorities of a possible attack with chemical bombs. How far the plans progressed is unknown. It is also unclear who or what the target of the attack should have been.
