Italy recalls ambassador to Egypt in protest over student's death

The Italian government on Friday recalled its ambassador to Egypt for consultations in protest over the death of student Giulio Regeni in Cairo.

The decision came after Rome's investigators met with Egyptian officials here for two days in order to be briefed about the probe into the killing.

Giulio Regeni, 28, disappeared in Cairo on January 25 while he was reportedly on his way to meet a friend. His body was recovered on February 3 in a ditch on the outskirt of the capital, showing signs of torture.

The case has strained the relationship between the two countries.

"Minister of Foreign Affairs Paolo Gentiloni has recalled Ambassador to Cairo Maurizio Massari in Rome for consultations," a ministry statement read.

The decision followed latest developments in the investigation into the Regeni murder case, and especially the meetings between Italian and Egyptian investigative teams held in Rome on Thursday and Friday, the statement added.

"As a result, urgent decisions are needed on the most appropriate actions to relaunch efforts aimed at finding the truth about the barbaric murder of Giulio Regeni".

The investigative material provided by Egyptian officials to the colleagues in Rome also seemed to leave Italy unsatisfied.

Egyptian investigators produced phone records of two Italian friends of Regeni who had been in Cairo at the time of his death, plus pictures of his body when it was discovered, according to a statement from Rome prosecutor's office.

They did not hand over video footage from the Cairo's district where Regeni had lived, nor from near the metro station where the researcher was seen for the last time, according to Italian media.

Records of Regeni's mobile and of some other 10 cell phones used in the area where he had disappeared also remained unavailable for Italian investigators, the prosecutor's office said.

"Concerning our request to receive the phone traffic (records), which the prosecution office in Rome has reiterated, the Egyptian judicial authority said it will be delivered at the end of their still on-going checks," the statement read.

Regeni was a PhD student at the Cambridge University in the UK, and his researches focused on Egyptian independent trade unions and labour rights organizations.

His family and rights groups in Italy said they suspected Egyptian security forces were involved in the killing.

Later on Friday, Gentiloni twitted on his account that "we want one thing only: the truth about Giulio".

"After the result of the meeting of the magistrates in Rome, Italy has formally decided to recall its ambassador," Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi also twitted.

Renzi had recently declared Italy would not be satisfied with what he called "a convenient truth" about Regeni's death.

Egypt strongly denied any involvement of authorities or police forces, and recently blamed a four-member criminal gang to be behind the murder.

In a final press release after the two-day meeting, the Italian prosecutor restated "his conviction that there are no elements to directly link the (criminal) gang to the torture and death of Giulio Regeni". Endit