German arrests Iranian suspected of plotting terror attack

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German police have detained a 32-year-old Iranian citizen suspected of having acquired the lethal poisons cyanide and ricin to carry out an “Islamist-motivated” attack, West German authorities said on Sunday.

According to a joint press release from the Düsseldorf prosecutor's office and the Recklinghausen and Münster police, the suspect's home in Castrop-Rauxel was searched as part of an investigation.

threatening the state” by allegedly purchasing cyanide and ricin to carry out a terrorist attack motivated by Islamists. This entails a prison sentence of 6 months to 10 years.

Police seized electronic storage devices but found neither cyanide nor ricin during a search of Castrop-Rauxel, Holger Heming of the Düsseldorf prosecutor's office told Reuters TV.

Castrop-Rauxel is located in North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany's most populous state, whose Interior Minister Herbert Reul said: “We have received serious information that prompted the police to make an arrest at night. Authorities are now conducting an intensive investigation.”

Heming said the tip came from a “friendly state” security agency, without elaborating. br />
Police said the suspect's brother was detained during the searches, adding that a decision on issuing a formal arrest warrant will be made at a later date as the investigation continues.

Naturally occurring ricin in castor beans, can cause death within 36-72 hours after exposure to an amount equal to the head of a pin. There is no known antidote.

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