Arrests in Switzerland after first use of ‘suicide capsule’

Several people have been arrested in Switzerland after what appears to have been the first use of a “suicide capsule” flooded with nitrogen gas.

A 64-year-old American woman with a severe immune disorder used the device to take her own life in a forest near the German border, according to reports.

Although assisted dying is legal in Switzerland under certain circumstances, the Sarco capsule was explicitly ruled illegal by the state only a few hours before the woman’s death.

Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, the Swiss interior minister, said the machine was not compatible with national safety regulations and the use of nitrogen for this purpose was not covered by the country’s laws.

The 3D-printed Sarco capsule — an abbreviation of sarcophagus — was developed by a Swiss