ANKARA

A Swiss national who had been imprisoned on espionage charges in Iran’s Semnan province was found dead Thursday in an apparent suicide.

Mohammad Sadegh Akbari, the head of the province's justice department, confirmed the incident in a statement, according to Mizan Online, a news agency affiliated with Iran's judiciary.

Akbari said the detainee took his own life this morning at Semnan prison, around 180 kilometers (112 miles) east of Iran's capital, Tehran

He also noted that there was substantial evidence and documentation supporting the espionage charges against the individual and the case was under investigation.

Akbari described how the Swiss national had been held in detention alongside another prisoner.

Early in the morning, the detainee had asked the other inmate to bring him food. It was during a brief period of being left alone in his cell that he reportedly took his life.

Akbari confirmed that prison officials immediately intervened to save the detainee, but their efforts were unsuccessful. He said an investigation into the incident had been conducted, with all available evidence suggesting that the death was a suicide.

The identity of the Swiss national and the exact date of his detention have not been disclosed.