Swiss police detain suspects over use of Sarco ‘suicide capsule’
The device has sparked legal debate in Switzerland, where assisted suicide is permitted under certain conditions
Police in northern Switzerland said on Tuesday that several people have been detained, and a criminal case opened in connection with the suspected death of a person in a new “suicide capsule”.
The “Sarco” capsule, which has never been used before, is designed to allow the person sitting in a reclining seat inside to push a button that injects nitrogen gas into the sealed chamber. The person is then supposed to fall asleep and die by suffocation in a few minutes.
Prosecutors in Schaffhausen canton were informed by a law firm that an assisted suicide involving the Sarco had taken place Monday near a forest cabin in Merishausen, regional police said in a statement.
It said “several people” were taken into custody and prosecutors opened an investigation on suspicion of incitement and accessory to suicide.
Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reported on Tuesday that police had detained one of its photographers who wanted to take pictures of the use of the Sarco. It said Schaffhausen police had indicated the photographer was being held at a police station but declined to give a further explanation.
The newspaper declined to comment further when contacted.
