Authorities in Germany have arrested overnight Saturday a 32-year-old man accused of planning a suspected terrorist attack.
Investigators arrested the suspect in the town of Castrop-Rauxel, in Germany’s northwestern Ruhr region, who, German police confirmed in a statement, had planned an «Islamist-motivated attack».
The suspect, an Iranian national, is said to have acquired cyanide toxins and ricin, a highly toxic substance, in order to commit an attack, according to the joint announcement by the Düsseldorf public prosecutor’s office, the Recklinghausen police and the Münster police.
During the early hours of this morning, German authorities searched the man’s accommodation in Castrop-Rauxel, about 15 kilometers northwest of Dortmund and 25 kilometers northeast of Essen, with the aim of finding these substances or other incriminating evidence.
According to the German news agency Dpa, a large area around the house was cordoned off and a large deployment of police officers, firemen and rescue personnel took place.
«The accused is suspected of having prepared a serious act of violence dangerous to the state,» German authorities said. The evidence is currently being evaluated and the 32-year-old defendant and another person have been taken into custody although it is not yet known whether they will appear in court.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
