German officials under pressure to explain the apparent suicide of a Syrian refugee in jail

Pressure is mounting on German officials to take responsibility after a Syrian refugee falsely accused of sexual offences reportedly committed suicide in a jail amid claims that officials ignored his cries for help.

The death of Amad A, 26, has attracted controversy over the haphazard handling of the incident and contradictory statements made by the regional justice minister in Dusseldorf, who had a lead role in the investigations.

It took less than two weeks for Amad to die from severe injuries sustained after a fire broke out in his cell on September 17 in the town of Kleve on the Dutch border. An investigation, which was due to be debated at a legislative committee of the state parliament yesterday, said all signs indicated arson “presumably with suicidal intent”.

The findings support those made by the fire department but raised concern among the representatives.

Peter Biesenbach, the justice minister for North Rhine-Westphalia and a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, defended the 60page report. It was intended to clear up any remaining confusion over the case but could potentially have added to it.

The report said Amad called for help using the telecom system in the cell 15 minutes after the fire started. He was rebuffed by the prison worker responsible for communicating with inmates, who was on a call with someone else Die Welt said. The attendant was said to have told Amad he would deal with the situation later, suggesting the seriousness of the incident was not conveyed or understood.

It is unclear how much Amad told the official about the situation. Rumours the Syrian was ignored are likely to prompt a further investigation and more questions.

It took four minutes before wardens moved to put out the fire after noticing smoke coming from Amad’s cell. He was rushed to a clinic as a result of severe burns he sustained. Investigators have not said if the extra minutes could have been the difference between life and death. The report said he set fire to the lower mattress of his bunk bed – Amad was alone in the cell at the time.

Mr Biesenbach has come under repeated attack from his detractors over contradictory statements in recent months, with the Green Party calling on him to resign.

As late as October 10, Mr Biesenbach was quoted as saying Amad did not use the call system to alert staff. The regional justice minister has lashed out at the malicious claims and insisted he was speaking based on information the authorities in Kleve had given him.

There have also been questions why Amad had not been evaluated further to check for suicidal tendencies or mental health problems.

If he had been suffering from such issues, greater protection measures would have been in place.

Accidental causes, such as Amad falling asleep with a cigarette, were ruled out because of the injuries sustained.

In a case of mistaken identity, Amad was arrested in July on suspicion of sexual assaults.

The report said he set fire to the lower mattress of his bunk bed – Amad was alone in the cell at the time