Euthanasia activist arrested over 'suicide pod' diesIn a separate statement, Mr Nitschke said Dr Willet had suffered psychological trauma following his arrest and detention in connection with the Switzerland death. The pod's inventor Philip Nitschke told BBC News that Dr Willet died by assisted suicide in Germany. A pro-euthanasia activist who was arrested following the death of a woman using the world's first so-called suicide pod has died. While assisted dying is legally protected in some circumstances in Switzerland, it is strictly regulated, and the pod has encountered opposition. Advocates say the device - manufactured by Sarco - provides an assisted dying option which is not reliant on drugs or doctors and expands potential access.