When Jaber al-Bakr asked for assistance from other refugees, he never suspected they would be largely responsible for his arrest.
Jaber al-Bakr entered Germany in April of 2015, and was granted asylum in November. He was renting an apartment in Saxony state, but fled when German police in Saxony state fired a warning shot before raiding the apartment Saturday (Oct. 8). In the raid, police found a detonator and several hundred grams of explosives. These later went off in a controlled detonation.
Al-Bakr sought help from a group of refugees, asking if he could stay with them for a while. A group of 2-3 refugees took pity on him. One of these refugees, identified only as Mohammed A., talked to German newspaper Bild about the situation. Mohammed A. said al-Bakr introduced himself as being new to Germany, and mentioned he had a job prospect. After one night in their apartment, the hosting refugees were becoming suspicious: Bakr looked oddly similar to the subject of a manhunt.
To see if other people saw the resemblance, they posted a picture of a sleeping Bakr on Facebook. As soon as they realized their visitor was the person from the manhunt, they “wrapped him up in several extension cords” before going to the police, Mohammed A. said in Bild. Bakr tried to bribe his hosts in order to be released, but was unsuccessful.
More about Bakr’s intentions with the explosive devices is not known; Bakr killed himself while in custody on Wednesday October 12. He was 22 years old.
German leaders have had mixed reactions to Bakr’s capture and later death. Germany has been one of the leaders in Syrian refugee admittance, being one of the first countries to take action towards refugee assistance. Decisions about letting Syrian refugees into many European countries has been highly contested, and this adds another example to the discussion. Chancellor Angela Merkel and her administration made a point to focus on the circumstances of Bakr’s arrest, with a spokesman thanking the group of Syrian refugees who made Bakr’s arrest possible. Other members of Merkel’s party, the Christian Democratic Union, see the arrest and death as evidence Germany needs to increase their surveillance on incoming refugees and migrants. Because of Germany’s leadership in regards to the Syrian refugee crisis, this event could be a turning point in other country’s decisions.
The debate has been hot world-wide over whether to let in Syrian refugees, how many to let in, how to cross-check them, and more. Though this event provides positive evidence for the Syrian reputation in the roommates who turned Bakr in, it also adds evidence for those who argue against inviting Syrian refugees across their borders. If nothing else, hopefully it will show that any group of people cannot be assumed to be the same, and that government leaders need to consider this when contemplating their role in the Syrian refugee crisis.