French minister; suspect kills himself in jump
By SARAH DiLORENZO and JOHANNA DECORSE, Associated Press
Mar 22, 2012 6:14 AM CDT
French minister; suspect kills himself in jump
A woman speaks with a police officer near a building where the chief suspect in an al-Qaida-linked killing spree is holed up in an apartment in Toulouse, France Thursday March 22, 2012. Mohamed Merah France's chief suspect in the shooting of three Jewish schoolchildren, a rabbi, and three French paratroopers...   (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.

See 6 more photos