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Egypt police says criminal, revenge motives behind Italian student's death

Xinhua, February 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Egyptian Interior Ministry said Wednesday that criminal and revenge motives are among the possibilities behind the recent murder of an Italian young man in Cairo, noting the investigating team has not yet identified the reasons or the perpetrators.

"Although the investigation team is still working and has not yet identified the perpetrators and the motives for the crime, the available information suggest all possibilities including the suspicion of a criminal motive or a desire for revenge for personal reasons," the ministry said in a statement.

Egypt is currently investigating the ambiguous death of the Italian man, Giulio Regeni, whose tortured, half-naked body was found earlier this month on a highway on the outskirts of Cairo. Regeni's body was sent back to Rome later.

Regeni, a PhD student in his late 20s, reportedly disappeared in Cairo on Jan. 25 while the country was marking the national Police Day amid intensive security presence, which coincides with the fifth anniversary of the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time leader Hosni Mubarak.

The Egyptian police said in Wednesday's statement that the man had many acquaintances and contacts within a short period of six months since his arrival to Egypt, noting the police identified some of them and questioned them in detail.

"Out of keenness to find the truth and bring the criminals to justice, there has been close cooperation between the Egyptian security apparatuses and the Italian security team that is currently in Egypt since Feb. 5 to follow up the probe," the statement added, stressing resolving the case is given an utmost priority in Egypt.

Before Regeni's disappearance, the Italian young man is said to have gone out to meet a friend in downtown Cairo where he lived nearby.

Last week, the Egyptian police denied that Regeni had been arrested shortly before his death and accused Western media of circulating "false news."

Facing claims of police abuses at home, the Egyptian Interior Ministry recurrently rejected the circulating charges of police involvement in Regeni's torture and killing, vowing to make public the outcome of the ongoing probe "once there is solid information."

Italy is one of Egypt's most important Western economic and trade partners. Ties between the two countries have always been good and stable. Endit