New investigation team formed to probe Regeni murder

A new investigation team at the office of Egypt’s prosecutor general will follow up on leads in the murder case of Italian student Giulio Regeni until the full truth is revealed, a statement from the office announced Wednesday.

“Due to the fact that different evidence in the murder case appeared in different geographical locations, a new investigating team is set up at the prosecutor general’s office in order to follow up the investigations,” the statement of Prosecutor General Nabil Sadek said.

The statement also revealed that Sadek spoke on the phone with Rome’s chief prosecutor, Giuseppe Pignatone, about the latest developments in the Regeni case.

The prosecutor’s office also made statements Wednesday about the alleged criminal gang accused of robbing and kidnapping foreigners and Egyptians and that was linked to the 28-year-old Italian student’s murder.

According to the office, Cairo prosecution is still investigating the exchange of fire that took place between suspected gang members and security forces in New Cairo last Thursday in which all suspects were killed.

The prosecutor general’s office reiterated that Giulio Regeni’s passport and university ID, among other items, were found in a red bag at the house of the sister of one of the suspects.

The sister, as well the suspect’s brother, admitted that they knew the things they were hiding at their house were stolen by their brother.

Both the brother and sister are officially considered suspects in the ongoing case, the statement added.

When the Egyptian interior ministry announced that members of a criminal gang specialised in theft and kidnapping foreigners had been killed no direct allegation of their involvement in Regeni’s murder was made. Several media outlets in Egypt, however, claimed that the gang was responsible of the torture and murder of the Italian student.

Regeni’s body was found with signs of torture on a roadside on the outskirts of Cairo nine days after he disappeared on 25 January.

Italian authorities as well as Regeni’s family have strongly rejected that the claim that the gang was responsible for the murder of Regeni, pointing to “inconsistencies” in that narrative.

Giulio Regeni was doctoral student conducting research on independent trade union movements in Egypt.

source: Ahram Online