Internet trail stops suicide

An 18-year-old boy who announced to his Internet chat room friends that he was planning to commit suicide was tracked down by police yesterday, who notified the teenager’s parents of his plans. Police said that they received a tip from one of the boy’s chat room friends about the planned suicide and located his home within four hours of being notified. «It was a race against time to find his (computer’s) location and identity in order to get there in time,» a police source told Kathimerini. The boy’s parents informed police that their son suffers from psychological problems and that he has made two suicide attempts in the past. It is the second time in about a year that Greek authorities have intervened in an expected suicide. In January last year, a 13-year-old boy had posted on his blog that he was planning to take his own life. He had promised readers that he would announce his suicide method on the eve of the event.