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Syrian terror suspect Jaber al Bakr found dead in his cell in Germany after being arrested over bomb plot | Syrian terror suspect Jaber al Bakr found dead in his cell in Germany after being arrested over bomb plot |
(35 minutes later) | |
The Syrian terror suspect who was arrested over an alleged bomb plot in Germany has been found dead in his cell. | |
Jabhar al Bakr was arrested in Leipzig in the south of the country on Monday after police foiled a plot to bomb Berlin airport. | |
The 22-year-old asylum seeker was caught after being detained by three fellow Syrian refugees who overpowered him and tied him to a sofa before calling the police – ending a two-day manhunt. | |
German media reported that al Bakr had been on hunger strike and was subject to round-the-clock surveillance. | German media reported that al Bakr had been on hunger strike and was subject to round-the-clock surveillance. |
Al Bakr, who is originally from Damascus province, went on the run after police found 1.5kg of explosives "more dangerous than TNT" in his flat in the city of Chemnitz on Saturday. | |
Police believed he was planning a similar attack to those carried out in France and Belgium in November 2015 and March 2016. | |
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said: "According to what we know, the preparations in Chemnitz are similar to the preparations for the attacks in Paris and Brussels". | |
He said al Bakr had links to Isis. | |
Three others were arrested in connection with the plot, one in Chemnitz city centre and two others at the railway station. | |
It comes amid growing anger about Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open door policy" towards refugees. | |
Last month, far right group Alternative for Germany made significant gains in the Berlin state elections – winning 11.5 per cent of the vote enabling it to enter the state parliament for the first time. | |
The party campaigns for a closure of the borders with its leader Frauke Petry saying police should be prepared to shoot refugees attempting to enter the country "if necessary". | |
Over the summer there were a number of attempts by Syrian asylum seekers to attack targets in Germany – including a failed asylum seeker who blew himself up outside a music festival after failing to get inside and an Afghan teenager attacking train passengers with an axe in Würzburg. |
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