https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/german-police-arrest-56yearold-worker-accused-of-murdering-colleagues-over-18year-period/news-story/100a45328b942b00dda1d1d3c06da1ac
German police arrest 56-year-old worker accused of murdering colleagues over 18-year period
POLICE fear a serial killer may have been responsible for the grisly poisoning deaths of up to 21 of his colleagues over an 18-year period.
The news comes as German police arrested a 56-year-old man after he was caught on CCTV footage sprinkling a suspicious substance on to a colleague’s lunch, The Mirror reports.
So far, the police force have not released the suspect’s name, or those of his alleged victims.
But what we do know is that the arrest took place in the town of Schloss Holte-Stukenbrock in northwest Germany, and according to media company Deutsche Welle, the suspect worked at metal fittings manufacturer ARI Armaturen for 38 years.
The arrest was made after the latest potential victim alerted authorities and bosses after he noticed something odd in his lunch.
Video footage was then examined, and it revealed the 56-year-old man spreading a powder-like substance on to his colleague’s food.
“In the beginning we thought it was a misconceived prank between co-workers, and not a murder attempt,” Deutsche Wellereported ARI Armaturen manager Tilo Blechinger as saying.
According to Mr Blechinger, the suspect had always been “conspicuously inconspicuous”.
Tests were then conducted on the contaminated lunch, which found it contained a strong poison, lead acetate, which is nearly tasteless but can cause extreme organ damage if ingested.
The alleged murderer’s flat was then searched by police officers, who found an assortment of poisons and toxic chemicals, according to The Mirror.
Among the chemicals found in the man’s home were mercury, lead, and cadmium.
Police then looked into records to discover that 21 people who worked at the same company as the man had all died of heart attacks or cancer just before they were due to retire.
The earliest case dated back to the year 2000, meaning the man may have been slowly targeting his co-workers for 18 years.
Toxicology experts said heavy metal poisoning could cause all the illnesses that had caused the workers’ deaths.
According to Deutsche Welle, two other workers at the same company are in a coma while a third man is on dialysis.
The man has so far refused to discuss the serious allegations against him, so a possible motive is not yet known.
But a 15-member homicide squad has been formed to investigate the deaths and interview relatives of the victims.
