French minister; suspect kills himself in jump
By SARAH DiLORENZO and JOHANNA DECORSE, Associated Press
Mar 22, 2012 6:14 AM CDT
Journalists stand at night next to an apartment building where Mohamed Merah, a suspect in the shooting at the Ozar Hatorah Jewish school, is still barricaded in Toulouse, southern France, Thursday, March 22, 2012. Riot police set off explosions outside the apartment building early Thursday in an effort...   (Associated Press)

The French interior minister says the suspect in a three-attack killing spree has died after jumping from his apartment window, arm in hand.

Claude Gueant says the suspect, who claims links to al-Qaida, jumped after police entered the apartment and found him holed up in the bathroom. Police and the suspect exchanged fire before Mohamed Merah died.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

TOULOUSE, France (AP) _ A police official says that the suspect in a three-attack killing spree who claims links to al-Qaida is dead.

The official, Didier Martinez of the Unite SGP police union, says the news was announced Thursday on the police radio shortly after a 5-minute volley of gunfire. It was not immediately known exactly how Mohamed Merah, 24, died.

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