Germany-Wisconsin Terror Plot

On Wednesday June 13^th in Cologne Germany, German officials arrested Sief Allah H. connection for procuring materials needed to create the toxin ricin and launch a deadly attack.

During a search of the suspect’s apartment investigators found over 900 castor bean seeds, the shell of which contains ingredients used to create ricin. Investigators said Sief was working on a “biological weapon” attack in Germany, but do not know yet the extent of the planned attack or what the target may have been.

Prosecutors allege that Sief made the toxin this month in his apartment. Bomb-making materials and chemicals used in the production of ricin were also found.

The suspect has not been identified as a member of any known terrorist organization but did have contacts with potential Jihadists over the internet. German officials did not confirm the report that United States intelligence officials tipped off German investigators about Sief’s possible actions.

The arrest in Germany came the same day a Wisconsin woman was arrested for providing material support to Islamic State. Waheba Issa Dais attempted to recruit individuals to carry out attacks for the Islamic State. The FBI tracked her activities on her computer to her home in Cudahy, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee.

The criminal complaint alleges that Dais provided services, personnel, advice and assistance to ISIS. Dias maintained a virtual library of instructions on how to make different explosive devices, including biological weapons.

One of the provided instructions on her website was how to make Ricin and suggested how the individuals that make it go about using it against targets. Dais used multiple social media platforms to carry out her work, hacking into social media accounts, changing pictures and information, and then using these accounts to contact other Islamic State supporters.

These arrests come two months after the foiling an alleged terror plot in France where French authorities in May arrested Mohamed M; a 20-year-old college student from Egypt for “preparing to commit an attack with explosive or ricin”. Mohamed ran an active account in the pro-jihad sphere, this is the second ricin related terror plot to take place within in Europe in the past 3 months.

Neither government confirmed that online library and postings by Waheba Issa Dais were seen by Sief Allah in Germany, still it may be reasonable suspect a possible connection between the foiled ricin plot in Germany and Dais’s blog detailing the ricin making process.  Reports state U.S. intelligence officials tipped of German authorities that Sief was looking at jihadist propaganda.

This cooperation between the German and American intelligence agencies shows the importance of sharing information about potential international terrorist attacks, before attacks can take place. This is becoming more and important with the increase in internet based terror plots and attacks.