Mossad behind arrest of Iranian planning attack in Germany

With the help of the Mossad, German police take 32-year-old Iranian citizen into custody, suspected of having procured deadly poisons cyanide and ricin to commit an 'Islamist-motivated' attack
Itamar Eichner|
Israel's Mossad provided intelligence leading to Germany's arrest on Sunday, of an Iranian man suspected of planning a mass casualty attack.
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  • German police have taken into custody a 32-year-old Iranian citizen suspected of having procured deadly poisons cyanide and ricin to commit an "Islamist-motivated" attack, authorities in western Germany said on Sunday.
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    A TV camera is set up in front of a building where German police have taken a 32-year-old Iranian citizen into custody in Castrop-Rauxel, Germany
    A TV camera is set up in front of a building where German police have taken a 32-year-old Iranian citizen into custody in Castrop-Rauxel, Germany
    A TV camera is set up in front of a building where German police have taken a 32-year-old Iranian citizen into custody in Castrop-Rauxel, Germany
    (Photo: Reuters)
    Israeli sources confirmed the Mossad's involvement after German Bild news paper reported a friendly nation's intelligence agency provided critical information.
    The residence of the suspect in the city of Castrop-Rauxel was searched as part of the investigation, according to a joint press release from the Duesseldorf public prosecutor's office and police in the cities of Recklinghausen and Muenster.
    "The suspect is suspected of having prepared a serious act of violence endangering the state by allegedly procuring cyanide and ricin to commit an Islamist-motivated attack," the statement said.
    This, police said, carries a prison sentence of between 6 months to 10 years.
    In Israel, security officials are conducting further investigations, probing if the Iranian suspect's was planning on harming Jewish or Israeli targets.
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    A cyclist passes a building where German police have taken a 32-year-old Iranian citizen into custody in Castrop-Rauxel, Germany
    A cyclist passes a building where German police have taken a 32-year-old Iranian citizen into custody in Castrop-Rauxel, Germany
    A cyclist passes a building where German police have taken a 32-year-old Iranian citizen into custody in Castrop-Rauxel, Germany
    (Photo: Reuters)
    Castrop-Rauxel is located in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, whose Interior Minister Herbert Reul said: "We had a serious tip-off that prompted the police to intervene during the night. The authorities are now investigating at full speed."
    German police said a second individual was detained as part of the searches, adding a decision on whether to issue an official arrest warrant would be made at a later date as the investigation is continuing.
    A spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office confirmed the person to be the suspect's brother.
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    גרמניה דרזדן גבר רצח אישה ו מתבצר ב קניון חשש ל בני ערובה כוחות משטרה שוטרים
    גרמניה דרזדן גבר רצח אישה ו מתבצר ב קניון חשש ל בני ערובה כוחות משטרה שוטרים
    German Police
    (Photo: EPA)
    Ricin, found naturally in castor beans, can cause death within 36 to 72 hours from exposure to an amount as small as a pinhead. No known antidote exists.
    According to German domestic intelligence services, the number of members or supporters of Islamist causes has shrunk by 1.5% to 28,290 individuals in 2021, citing the "military breakup" of the militant Islamic State group.
    On Dec. 19, 2016, Anis Amri, a failed Tunisian asylum seeker with Islamist links, drove a truck into a crowded western Berlin Christmas market, killing 11 people and injuring dozens.
    News about Sunday's searches also comes a month after German authorities arrested 25 members and supporters of a far-right group that the prosecutor's office said was preparing a violent overthrow of the state.

    Reuters contributed to this report
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