Investigators apparently thwarted a terrorist attack with the poisons ricin and cyanide in the Ruhr area over the weekend. However, the suspected toxins were not found during the search of the apartment. Now the garages have been searched.
In connection with the anti-terrorist operation against two Iranian brothers in Germany, investigators carried out further searches. Two garages attributed to one of the two accused brothers were affected, a spokesman for the Düsseldorf public prosecutor said on Monday morning. The brothers reportedly tried to obtain poison for an Islamically motivated attack. However, a house search failed to find him.
Investigations showed the 32-year-old had both garages in a backyard in Castrop-Rauxel, the public prosecutor said. Among other things, the fire department’s so-called Analytical Task Force is on call to ensure the safe handling of potentially hazardous substances. A decontamination line will be installed.
It is not yet possible to estimate how long the operation will last, he said. It probably depends on what is found. “If there are empty garages, open the gates, take a picture of an empty garage and drive again,” he said.
There was no major find of poison, arrest warrant issued
The brothers, aged between 32 and 25, were arrested on Sunday night. It is said that they tried to obtain the cyanide and ricin toxins for an attack. However, the toxins were not found when the 32-year-old’s apartment was searched.
Arrest warrants were issued for the two brothers on Sunday night. Initially, it was unclear how the possible attack plans had progressed and what would have been a possible target. The German investigators became active because of a tip from US colleagues.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul has criticized German politicians’ hesitation to obtain information over the Internet. “We are very secretive in Germany,” said the CDU politician in the ZDF “Morgenmagazin” on Monday. International cooperation between security authorities, on the other hand, works so well that information is transmitted very quickly. The police managed to make all the arrangements “overnight” and arrest the youths.
(APA/dpa)