4 arrested after controversial 'suicide pod' used for the first time in Switzerland
Zurich: Four people were arrested in Switzerland after a controversial capsule, known as the "Sarco" pod, was used to end a woman's life. The incident took place in the northern canton of Schaffhausen on Monday.
Prosecutors have initiated criminal proceedings against the detainees for "inducing and aiding and abetting suicide." The deceased was identified as a 64-year-old American woman who had been suffering from a severely compromised immune system.
Among the arrested was Florian Willet, co-president of "The Last Resort," the group behind the capsule. He was reportedly the only person present at the scene alongside a Dutch journalist and two Swiss nationals, according to a spokesperson for the group.
The Sarco capsule, designed by Australian physician Philip Nitschke, causes death by releasing nitrogen gas inside, lowering the oxygen level to a fatal degree. The device has raised legal and ethical concerns in Switzerland, a country known for its laws allowing assisted suicide.
Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, the Swiss minister responsible for health, stated that the Sarco does not meet product safety requirements and that its use of nitrogen is not legally compliant.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
