The prosecution’s office stated in a statement that the men were accused of plotting to “perform an Islamist attack in which they wanted toxins — such as cyanide, ricin — so as to kill an indefinite amount of people”.
The Duesseldorf prosecutor referred to the brothers aged 32 and 25 as “M. J.” J. J.” respectively.
Holger Heming, Duesseldorf prosecutor, stated to AFP that the initial search of Castrop-Rauxel for the men did not find any trace of toxic substances.
They would be charged with “conspiracy to commit Murder”, which could lead to sentences of three to fifteen years, prosecutors stated.
Overnight, agents wore protective suits to guard against any chemical hazards. The raids took place in Castrop-Rauxel on Sunday.
Images from NTV show the men wearing their underwear, with jackets over their shoulders.
‘Serious tip’
Nancy Faeser, federal Interior Minister, stated that security forces “take every suggestion of Islamist terrorist threats very seriously and action accordingly.”
Herbert Reul (interior minister for North Rhine-Westphalia) said that authorities were given a “serious tips” that prompted an overnight raid.
According to local media reports, the FBI alerted the German security services to the threat from chemical terror.
According to Spiegel weekly’s report, American security forces are believed to have infiltrated Telegram chat room where two suspects “asked for bomb construction plans and later on about toxins”.
Ricin is a very toxic substance and is considered a “chemical weapon” by Germany.
Produced through the processing of castor bean, ricin can be fatal in very small doses when inhaled, swallowed, or injected. It’s 6,000 times stronger than cyanide with no known remedy.
2018: A Tunisian man was arrested with his wife on suspicion of planning a chemical strike in Germany.
The couple, who sympathized to the Islamic State group were found with 84 mgs of ricin at their Cologne apartment.
They had ordered explosives, castor seed and metal ball bearings via the internet in order to make a toxic bomb.
The man was sentenced in 2020 to 10 years imprisonment, while his wife received an 8-year sentence.
Germany has been the victim of numerous Islamist attacks in recent years. One example is a 2016 truck attack at a Christmas market, which left 12 people dead and many more injured.
A thirteenth victim, who had suffered severe injuries during the assault, died five years later.