The German man found hanged at the Floriana police lock-up on Saturday night has been identified as 36-year-old Marlon Oto Kai Hanratty from Stuttgart, the police have confirmed.

The grim discovery was made hours before Mr Hanratty was due to be arraigned over drug possession and theft. This was the second incident of a death at the police lock-up in three months.

In his first reaction, Police Commissioner Michael Cassar declined to divulge the man’s name, saying his next of kin had not yet been informed of his death.

The police chief described the deceased man as an unemployed, homeless drug addict who had been living in Malta for three months.

The commissioner added that the circumstances of the case indicated the he had committed suicide. The man’s identity was not revealed until yesterday afternoon when the Times of Malta filed an official request.

The German man had been arrested in Msida at about 6pm on Saturday after his behaviour fuelled suspicion. He was taken to the Sliema police station and then to Mater Dei Hospital, as he had requested methadone treatment.

The incident has prompted calls from the Opposition for the Home Affairs Minister to shoulder responsibility

Finally he was transferred to the police lock-up in Floriana, where he was found dead at 10.40pm.

This case follows that of Martin Fenech, 39, from Żejtun, who on October 3 was found dead with a bedsheet wrapped around his neck.

The man had been arrested in connection with an 11-kilogram drug bust.

Faced by criticism on the level of police supervision over detained persons waiting to be charged in court, the commissioner last Sunday pointed out that the German man was found dead just 15 minutes after an inspection.

Asked if he was willing order an independent investigation to ascertain whether his death was the result of negligence, Mr Cassar said that this would depend on the conclusions of the magisterial inquiry.

The commissioner, however, did not rule out a review of existing procedures.

Nevertheless, he argued that, regardless of any additional measures, which could include the installation of security cameras in cells, the risk of such incidents could not be ruled out completely.

The incident has prompted calls from the Opposition for the Home Affairs Minister to shoulder responsibility. In its reaction the Nationalist Party pointed out how the Prime Minister had remained silent on the case, in sharp contrast to a similar incident which had occurred during the last legislature, when the Labour Party was in opposition.