Toxin 30 times more deadly than ricin

A 16-YEAR-OLD boy from Mossley tried to buy a biological toxin online to take his own life, Manchester Youth Court has heard

The unnamed boy’s defence initially argued that as he intended to kill himself, possession of the substance could technically have been for “peaceful purposes” - which could have led to the charges being dropped. Judge Khalid Jamil Qureshi dismissed the claim.

“The question is whether suicide is peaceful,’ he told the court. “Suicide, by definition, is an act of violence, so the defence will not be applicable.”

The defendant guilty to attempting to acquire the biological toxin Abrin. His arrest followed an investigation by the North-West Counter Terrorism Unit, which learned in January that the teenager was attempting to obtain the poison. Abrin is considered 30 times more deadly than ricin.

Police communicated secretly online with the teenager, during which he expressed an interest in purchasing the toxin.

In February he attempted to order the poison and suggested he would make future purchases in larger quantities. Police raided two homes in Mossley and the boy and a 16-year-old girl were arrested..The girl was later released without charge. The boy will be sentenced on April 20