Iranian arrested in Germany suspected of plotting chemical attack

Berlin — A 32-year-old Iranian man has been arrested in Germany on suspicion of planning a deadly chemical attack, officials said Sunday.

Police and prosecutors said the man and another person were detained overnight in the town of Kastroloxel, northwest of Dortmund.

In a joint statement, they said the men were suspected of planning a serious Islamic extremist-motivated attack in an attempt to obtain the potent toxins cyanide and ricin.

Experts in anti-pollution suits were seen carrying evidence out of the man’s home.

A spokesman for the Düsseldorf public prosecutor later said an initial search of the premises found no toxic substances, reported Deutsche News Agency dpa.

It was not immediately clear how far the attack plans had progressed or whether the suspects were targeting specific targets.

German news agency dpa quoted North Rhine-Westphalia’s top security official, Herbert Reul, as saying the authorities had received “serious information that led the police to intervene that night”. Stated.

The tabloid Bild reported that information about the alleged conspiracy came from alliance intelligence services.

The Dpa said an unnamed German security official said there was no indication the suspect acted on behalf of the Iranian state and that he supported a Sunni extremist group. Sunnis are a religious minority in Iran.

Five years ago, German police arrested a Tunisian man and his wife on suspicion of planning a ricin attack in the name of IS. They were later convicted and sentenced him to ten years and his eight years in prison respectively.

Even small amounts of ricin produced by the seeds of the castor oil plant can kill adults if eaten, injected or inhaled.