Germany: Terror suspect killed self despite cell checks

BERLIN

Sebastian Gemkow, minister of justice for the eastern state of Saxony, said Thursday that a Syrian terrorism suspect had committed suicide despite preventative measures, including a cell check 15 minutes before he was found dead.

Jaber al-Bakr, a 22-year-old Syrian suspected of planning a bomb attack on a German airport, was arrested Monday before being found dead in his cell Wednesday night, having strangled himself.

At a joint press conference with Saxony Chief Prosecutor Klaus Fleischmann and Rolf Jacob, warden of the prison where the suspect was held in the city of Leipzig, Gemkow said al-Bakr had not shown any suicidal tendencies when he was taken into custody.

He said psychologists from the prison had also met with him. “This shouldn’t have happened. But unfortunately, it happened. Even though we did our best to hinder it, we couldn’t stop it,” he added.

Gemkow said the suspect strangled himself by tying his T-shirt to his cell bars despite being checked on 15 minutes before the suicide was discovered.

The suicide sparked criticism against the minister, with some politicians calling on him to resign.

Calling the incident “shameful” for the justice system, Katja Kipping, head of the Left Party, urged Gemkow to step down.

*Reporting by Erbil Basay; Writing by Ahmet Sait Akcay