terror suspect Albakr not classified ........
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Terror suspect Albakr not classified as 'acute suicide risk' before Leipzig jail death
The Syrian terrorist suspect who committed suicide in custody was not classified as being in "acute suicide risk" before his death, the Leipzig prison warden has admitted. Jaber Albakr was found hanged with his t-shirt.
Jaber Albakr, the Syrian refugee suspected of plotting an airport bomb attack, was not classified as being in "acute suicide risk" in the Leipzig prison where he has been in solitary confinement since his apprehension in the overnight hours of Sunday into Monday.
The suspect was subjected to regular cell checks, which at the time of his death occurred every 30 minutes, Leipzig chief prison warden Rolf Jacob told a press conference in Dresden on Thursday morning.
Albakr's death was confirmed at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday after emergency workers unsuccessfully attempted to revive him. Jacob said the terrorist suspect was found hanged from the bars of his cell with his prison-issued t-shirt.
Jacob said that AlBakr had been assessed after being brought to the prison, with a psychologist present. He said that wardens checked on him every 15 minutes, though this was reduced to every 30 minutes on Wednesday afternoon, following another assessment. The last check was made at 7:30 p.m.
Looking visibly shaken during the press conference, Jacob said it had been difficult to communicate with the suspect because of language problems, and that he was refusing food and drink, but added that he seemed calm.
He added that Albakr was kept in solitary confinement as a matter of procedure, because he was suspected of a violent crime.
"He was not at any time not under surveillance," said Jacob. "He seemed calm and seemed interested in how life would proceed in the prison, and what would happen if he refused food." Jacob added that there was a water faucet in his cell.
But Jacob also mentioned that a lamp had fallen from the cell's ceiling during the day, whereupon wardens had cut of the power to the cell. Later in the day, guards also found that AlBakr had apparently manipulated the power outlets, though by then they were no longer live.
"No acute danger of suicide was found," Sebastian Gemkow, Saxony Justice Minister, told reporters at the press conference. "It should not have been allowed to happen. But it did happen, even though as things stand we did everything to prevent that."
The minister added that while he took the "political responsibility" for the suspect's death, he did not see a reason to resign over it.
"In retrospect, we would look at ourselves critically and say that maybe we were a little too believing [of Albakr's statements]," Jacob said. "But in sum everything happened as the procedures set out."
Albakr was captured on Sunday night by other Syrian refugees
Pressure on Saxony
The suspect's state-appointed defense attorney Alexander Hübner called the case a "justice scandal." "I'm incredibly shocked and absolutely speechless that something like this could happen," Hübner told WDR radio, adding that the responsible prison was aware of Albakr's suicide risk, which had been noted in the log.
"It's very clear that the surveillance measures weren't adequate," Hübner said. He added that the prison warden confirmed to him on Wednesday afternoon that Albakr would be "constantly watched" in solitary confinement.
"My client was on hunger strike - that was well-known too, he was refusing all food and liquids," he added.
Politicians lined up to condemn the incident and demand a full investigation on Thursday morning. In a interview with ZDF breakfast show "Morgenmagazin," German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said "what happened last night demands a fast and comprehensive explanation."
"How could this happen in a prison cell apparently under constant surveillance?" tweeted Green party leader Cem Özdemir. "I am speechless."
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