A raid on a property in Zeithain, Saxony found that a 16-year-old boy had made and stored the highly toxic biological warfare substances ricin and aconite on his parents’ farm. The boy is now under suspicion of violating Germany’s War Weapons Control Act.
“Officers began searching the suspect’s home early Thursday morning, according to a statement from Saxony police. Their goal is to ‘secure all toxic substances and other evidence,’”the statement said. Police are said to have found “several vials” of the toxins. It’s unclear how much of the highly toxic substances that amount represents.
Ricin, which is classified as a bioweapon, can be extracted from the seeds of the castor oil plant. In humans, the estimated lethal oral dose is about one milligram per kilogram of body weight. Aconite, a neurotoxin, can be produced from the plants wolfsbane and monkshood. As little as 2 milligrams of pure aconitine—or about 1 gram of the plant—can be deadly, causing paralysis of the heart or respiratory system. The toxin can also be absorbed through the skin; even touching the flowers may numb the fingertips.
