- The Media Line - https://themedialine.org -

Italy To Investigate Egyptian Security Officials Over 2016 Murder Of Student

A public prosecutor in Rome has launched an investigation centering on five Egyptian security officials that may have played a role in the murder of an Italian student. Giulio Regeni, who was enrolled at Cambridge University, had been doing post-graduate research in Cairo when he went missing in January 2016. While his mutilated body subsequently was found on the outskirts of the capital, no arrests have been made in connection to the case. The incident caused a diplomatic crisis between Italy and Egypt, amid accusations Regeni was murdered due to his focus on the controversial topic of independent trade unions. Moreover, Egyptian authorities initially claimed Regeni was killed in a traffic accident before changing tack and attributing blame to a criminal gang (all of whose members allegedly were later killed in a shootout). Cairo eventually admitted that the student was being monitored but denied that he died in custody. Four of the five suspects named by the Italian prosecutor are senior members of Egypt’s National Security Agency.