CBRN event in Germany on Thu 17th April 2025

A teenager in eastern Germany is accused of producing the deadly biological warfare agent ricin in his family's attic. Police said the suspect remains at large. Police in Germany searched the home of a 16-year-old in the eastern state of Saxony on Thursday on suspicion of possessing the highly toxic biological warfare agent ricin. The teenager is alleged to have manufactured and stored several vials of a mixture of the plant toxins ricin and aconitine in a specially equipped laboratory in the attic of his family's 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 not revealed any indications as to the purpose for which the suspect was manufacturing the substances. Police said they were sifting through the "purpose-built laboratory," seeking "to seize all toxic substances and other evidence." Experts from Germany's disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), were also at the scene. 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.