Regeni Murder Investigation Continues after Cairo Police Discovered His Passport in Raid

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Regeni Murder Investigation Continues after Cairo Police Discovered His Passport in Raid

March 26th, 2016

Awake Goy

Fahwad Al-Khadoumi (nsnbc) : The Chief Prosecutor of Rome stated Friday that evidence presented by Egyptian investigators was insufficient to close the case. Egypt’s Interior Minister, on Thursday, stated that four members of a gang who were under suspicion of having murdered Regeni had been killed in a police raid. Several media misrepresent the case as if Egypt wanted to close and shut down the case to “cover up” the causes of the 28-year-old Italian student’s violent death.

The body of Italian graduate student Giulio Regeni was found on the outskirts of Cairo last month. His body showed signs of torture. Cairo and Rome have since been at loggerheads over a details of a joint investigation. On Thursday Egyptian police killed four gang members suspected in killing Regeni.

Egypt’s foreign Ministry stated on Thursday that police raided the home of the sister of one of the killed suspects and discovered Giulio Regeni’s passport, his Visa Card as well as his ID cards from the American University in Cairo and Cambridge University there. The Interior Ministry noted that the four gang members were specialized in impersonating police officers and kidnapping foreigners.

Regeni was a Cambridge PhD student at Girton College in the Political and International Department. He was a visiting scholar for the American University in Cairo. Regeni went reportedly missing as he was heading from Giza’s Behoos metro station to Bab-el-Louk in downtown. It is at this point in time uncertain whether or not Giulio Regeni has had ties to a foreign intelligence service or to any of the outlawed organizations in Egypt.

Giulio Regeni’s affiliation with the American University in Cairo has prompted questions about whether Regeni was operating in Egypt for a foreign intelligence service. The American University is known as a hub for people with ties to intelligence services. Among its alumni are, among others, CIA Director John Brennan and New York Times “columnist” Thomas Friedman. Well-informed sources as well as Egyptian authorities have also noted that Regeni’s work in Egypt may have brought him in touch with potentially dangerous circles with links to terrorist organizations. Regeni was officially studying labor rights and organizations in Egypt.

Several human rights organizations have suggested that Regeni may have been tortured and killed by Egyptian security forces. Cairo has denied the allegations and assured that it would investigate all leads, regardless of who may have been involved in the death of the 28-year-old. The Chief Prosecutor of Rome, Giuseppe Pignatone said that the joint Egyptian – Italian investigation would continue because the evidence shared with Italian investigators in Cairo so far is inadequate in clarifying the death of Regeni an in identifying those responsible for the homicide. Italy wants the truth, he added.

Several Italian and other media, including the Reuters news agency, for whatever reasons, misrepresent the discovery of Regeni’s ID papers and the statement issued by Egypt’s Interior Ministry, as if Egypt wanted to cover up and shut down the investigation. The investigation in Cairo continues.

F/K – nsnbc 25.03.2015