Sources close to the family of an Algerian man who committed suicide by throwing himself from the highest level of the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah last Friday said the death of his mother in 2007 in the city may have led him to jump.

According to the sources, 23-year-old Azzouz Boutouba, a father of three, was very close to his mother and planned to perform pilgrimage with her when he was 14 years old, however he was not granted visa. The sources explained that his mother passed away during Hajj and was buried in Makkah.

Boutouba’s neighbour in France, Meloud said he always spoke about the death of his mother and the fact that she is buried alone in Makkah.