Syrians in Germany shocked at death of terror suspect

The Syrian migrant Jaber Albakr, who was suspected of attempting to commit a bomb attack on a Berlin airport, was found dead in his cell in Leipzig on Wednesday. After being on the run for several days, he was captured by three Syrian refugees, who turned him in to the police.

Albakr then went on hunger strike at the prison and was placed under precautionary surveillance, refusing to eat. He was later found dead in his cell.

Syrian Facebook community

Monis Bukhari, a Syrian activist in Berlin, expressed doubt on his Facebook page over the news of Albakr's death: "What could he use to hang himself, in a jail cell where he is under surveillance? He was under surveillance because of his hunger strike. Wasn't he monitored using cameras? There are a lot of question marks about this story. I want to see justice in this country, like all Syrians."

 

The Facebook page "Syrische Gemeinde in Deutschland" (Syrian community in Germany) has seen much discussion on Albakr's death.

Many have been expressing their contempt for the fugitive. Some noted how this type of event is strange in Germany - an incident like this would be more typical in the Arab world.

Some of the Arabic commentators frequently described the turn of the events as a conspiracy against refugees in Germany and doubted they really happened - describing it as a film. Ahmad Qojo says: "He killed himself and that's how the film ends."  

George Najeeb Sarras says underneath: "There's still a lot of work on this case. The details of this incident will be discovered in the next few days."

Another Facebook page called "Strassen Deutschland" (Germany streets) was quick to post the news in Arabic and said: "The Syrian suspected of carrying out a terrorist attack has committed suicide in his cell!"

Other Arabic reactions

Modar Soos wrote in this tweet that "we demand that the German police publish the video showing the death of Jaber Albakr in his cell, or else this was a fabrication." This post shows the skepticism by some in the Arab world towards the incident.

May Nader from Egypt said on Twitter: "You left your country and asked for asylum in Germany, and instead of showing gratitude, you planned to blow up the airport of your guest country. Even your suicide failed to get you any sympathy."