Criminality - After a corpse discovery in Freiburg: main suspect arrested
After discovering the body of a 77-year-old in Freiburg, investigators are following a lead into Switzerland. A 21-year-old arrested in Bern is strongly suspected of mortally wounding the man, according to the police. The Freiburg Prosecutor's Office will request his extradition.
The body of the 77-year-old was discovered in his house last week. According to the police, someone had broken in beforehand. The perpetrator allegedly encountered the man while searching for valuables and fatally wounded him with a knife, according to a preliminary autopsy report.
Arrest in Switzerland
The Freiburg District Court issued a national and European arrest warrant for the man last Friday. The 21-year-old had previously applied for asylum in Switzerland, a police spokesperson said. Since the Algerian national was supposed to have stayed in the country illegally, he was arrested. The Swiss authorities discovered during a data check that the suspect was the one being sought in Germany, according to the spokesperson.
Several reasons for immediate suspicion
The suspect was reportedly seen and filmed at the Stühlinger Church Square in Freiburg on the day of the discovery, digging through a bush with a backpack, it was further stated. In this backpack, according to the police, there was reportedly a stolen laptop that had previously been in the 77-year-old's house. When the police arrived, the man was no longer present.
The suspect was also reportedly seen on private security cameras in the vicinity of the crime scene in the time frame of the crime. In addition, the investigators reportedly found another backpack with personal belongings of the young man in the deceased's house.
Further investigations are ongoing
According to the police, the 21-year-old had been in Germany since May. Since then, he had been noticed by the police several times due to thefts. The police are investigating further backgrounds.
The arrest in Switzerland resulted from a data check by the Swiss authorities, as they discovered the wanted individual was the same person sought by the German Police in connection to the 'corpse find' in Freiburg. The 21-year-old's asylum application in Bern was another factor that led to his apprehension, as it was revealed he had stayed in Switzerland illegally. The Public Prosecutor's Office in Freiburg is now actively working on the extradition process.
Additionally, video footage from Stühlinger Church Square in Freiburg on the day of the discovery showed the suspect digging through a bush with a backpack, which allegedly contained a stolen laptop from the 77-year-old's house. Furthermore, private security cameras captured the suspect in the vicinity of the crime scene, and another backpack containing personal belongings of the suspect were found in the deceased's home.
These findings, along with the numerous times the suspect was noticed by the police since May for thefts in Germany, have contributed significantly to the strong suspicion of his involvement in the 'mortally wounding' of the 77-year-old. The ongoing investigations aim to uncover any further details related to the crime and the suspect's past activities.
