Berlin : German police arrested a 32-year-old Iranian man suspected of planning a terror attack. The Iranian national was arrested in Castrop-Rauxel near Dortmund on suspicion of procuring toxins, including cyanide and ricin to carry out a terror attack, Politico reported citing German authorities.
According to German authorities, another person was detained during the operation. The Iranian man's house was cordoned off and searched in order to gather further evidence, according to Politico. Several officers and emergency workers in full protective suits were present at the house of the Iranian national. The Dusseldorf public prosecutor's office, the Recklinghausen police, and the Munster police in a joint statement released on its website said that the house of the 32-year-old suspect was searched. It further said that the accused is suspected of having prepared a "serious act of violence."
"In an investigation by the North Rhine-Westphalia Central Office for the Prosecution of Terrorism (ZenTer NRW) at the Dusseldorf Public Prosecutor's Office, the living quarters of a 32-year-old suspect, who is an Iranian citizen, were searched in Castrop-Rauxel by order of a judge," the Dusseldorf public prosecutor's office, the Recklinghausen police, and the Munster police said in a statement released on January 8.
"The accused is suspected of having prepared a serious act of violence that endangers the state by procuring cyanide and ricin to commit an Islamist-motivated attack," it added.
The accused and one other person have been taken into custody and the investigation is being conducted, the Dusseldorf public prosecutor's office, the Recklinghausen police, and the Munster police said in a statement released on its website.
"The accused and one other person have been taken into custody, evidence has been secured and is being evaluated. A decision will be made at a later date on the presentation before the competent magistrate to issue an arrest warrant. The investigations are ongoing," the Dusseldorf public prosecutor's office, the Recklinghausen police, and the Munster police said in a statement.