A 16-year-old in Germany was arrested after he mixed dangerous poisons such as ricin and aconitine in his attic. Prosecutors and police raided his home in Zeithain, Saxony and found several vials of toxic chemicals. ricin, which comes from castor beans, is known for its extreme toxicity, being 6,000 times more dangerous than cyanide.
The young man set up a laboratory in the attic and made poisons from these plants. ricin and aconitine are plant-based poisons that can kill in even small doses. ricin is considered a biological weapon under War Weapons Control Act of Germany. Authorities are continuing to investigate the teenager's possible motive.
The teenager has no criminal record, and it is not yet clear whether his parents knew what he did. Experts from the Robert Koch Institute helped secure the area while police are still searching for toxic substances and other evidence.
In 2018, a ricin case went viral when a couple was convicted of plotting a biological attack in Germany using the same toxin. The incident raised concerns about the use of destructive chemicals for nefarious purposes.
