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German Authorities Under Fire Over Terror Suspect's Jail Death


Jaber al-Bakr killed himself in a jail in Leipzig late on October 12, reportedly with his own T-shirt.
Jaber al-Bakr killed himself in a jail in Leipzig late on October 12, reportedly with his own T-shirt.

The German government has demanded an immediate inquiry into the death in a prison cell of a Syrian refugee suspected of planning a bomb attack.

Jaber al-Bakr killed himself in a jail in Leipzig late on October 12, reportedly with his own T-shirt.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere demanded a "rapid and comprehensive inquiry."

He said Bakr's death had made the task of investigating an alleged bomb plot on a Berlin airport much harder.

Bakr’s lawyer described the death as a judicial scandal, saying the prison was aware Bakr was a suicide risk.

Bakr was turned over to police on October 10 by three other Syrian refugees after being on the run for two days.

When police raided the 22-year-old’s flat in the eastern city of Chemnitz on October 8, they found a home-made explosive.

Bakr was granted asylum after coming to Germany in February 2015.

Based on reporting by dpa, AP, and the BBC

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