Police in Germany searched the home of a 16-year-old in the eastern state of on Thursday on suspicion of posessing of the highly toxic biological warfare agent ricin.
The teenager is alleged to have manufactured and stored several ampoules of a mixture of the plant toxins ricin and aconitine in a specially equipped laboratory in the attic of the house.
What do we know about the ricin raid?
The Saxony State Office of Criminal Investigation and the Dresden Public Prosecutor’s Office said proceedings were underway into a suspected offense under the Weapons of War Act.
Investigations to date have therefore not revealed any indications as to the purpose for which the suspect was manufacturing the substances.
The emergency services cordoned off a large area of the premises, and all access roads were also closed. The 16-year-old was said to be at large.
Ricin is one of the deadliest known to science and is classified as a biological weapon under Germany’s Weapons of War Act. Aconitine is among the fastest-acting and lethal natural poisons affecting the heart.
Prosecutors said no arrest warrant had been issued and that the boy currently had no criminal record. As a result, there were no reasons requiring his detention, they said.
More to follow…
The post Germany: Teen’s home searched over suspected ricin plot appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
