AUBURN – Some members of the Somali community are frustrated by the lack of answers about the death of a Somali immigrant who died after being found unconscious at the Androscoggin County Jail.

Ahmed Hussein Samater, 46, died early Monday after his arrest by Lewiston police for disorderly conduct and violation of bail conditions. When he was arrested, Samater was drunk and creating a disturbance at his Lewiston apartment building, police said.

When jail officials found Samater unconscious, an ambulance was called and he was pronounced dead at Central Maine Medical Center. He was buried Thursday.

An autopsy by the state Medical Examiner’s Office failed to determine a cause of death, and additional toxicology tests were requested.

State police, who are investigating the death, have ruled out physical force by local law enforcement as a possible cause of death. “No significant injury resulted in this individual’s death,” said state police Lt. Brian McDonough.

Mohdi Ali of Lewiston said friends and relatives of Samater are seeking answers.

“Nobody’s talking about it,” Ali said. “We don’t know why they’re silent. We demand answers.”

Samater’s death comes at a time of simmering tensions among Lewiston’s Somalis, who began moving to the city in large numbers in 2001.

Things have improved since a crisis that erupted when then-Mayor Larry Raymond sent a letter to Somali elders warning that the influx was straining city resources. But Ali says Somalis continue to be victims of vandalism.

Police Chief William Welch said he welcomed a meeting with members of the Somali community to talk about Samater’s death.

“At this point, they’re not protesting based on facts. They’re protesting based on assumptions and rumors,” he said.