32-year-old man arrested for planning alleged terror attack in Germany

8 Jan. () –

The German authorities have arrested a 32-year-old young man accused of planning an alleged terrorist attack during the night of this Saturday.

Investigators have detained the suspect in the city of Castrop-Rauxel, in the German Ruhr region in the northwest of the country, which, as confirmed by the German Police in a statement, would have planned an “Islamist-motivated attack.”

The suspect, an Iranian national, would have acquired cyanide and ricin toxins, a highly toxic substance, to commit an attack, according to the joint announcement by the Düsseldorf prosecutor’s office, the Recklinghausen Police and the Münster Police.

During this early morning, the German authorities have searched the male’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.

As reported by the German news agency Dpa, a large area around the house was cordoned off and a large deployment of police officers, firefighters and rescue personnel took place.

“The defendant is suspected of having prepared a serious act of violence dangerous to the State,” the German authorities have reported. At this time, the evidence is being evaluated and the 32-year-old defendant and another person have been taken into custody although it is not yet known if they will appear in court.