Egypt's police inspected Italian student's activity weeks before his death - prosecution

Friday 09-09-2016 08:01 PM

Italian student Giulio Regeni's belongings allegedly found in a gang member's house - Photo from the Interior ministry

CAIRO, Sept 9 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt's public prosecution revealed on Friday that police inspected the activity of Italian student Guilio Regeni early January, a few weeks prior to his death.

Public Prosecutor Nabil Sadiq headed to Rome on Thursday and handed his Italian counterpart a report on the results of the investigations into the case of Regeni.

The report comprised analysis of the phone calls that telecommunication operators detected in the districts where Regeni disappeared and where he was found, a statement by the public prosecution said.

It also revealed that head of the independent street vendors union reported Regeni to the police early January, a few weeks prior to his disappearance and murder.

The police investigated the claims of the union's head and carried out checks on Regeni's activity for three days, but the checks were stopped as Regeni's activity was of "no interest to national security", the prosecution added. 

Sadiq concluded on Friday his two-day visit to Rome where he met with Italian officials to present the latest findings in the case.

The young Italian researcher went missing in Cairo on Jan. 25, 2016, which marked the fifth anniversary of the popular uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak.

Ten days later, Regeni's body was found, bearing signs of torture, in a roadside ditch on the outskirts of Cairo.

A number of media reports accused Egyptian security forces of torturing the Italian student to death, which the Egyptian interior ministry has denied.

Italy has repeatedly complained about Egypt's lack of cooperation in the case.

The Italian Senate voted on June 29 to halt supplies of spare part for F16 warplanes to Egypt over Egypt’s handling of Regeni’s case investigation.

Last April, Italy had recalled its ambassador then, Maurizio Massari, to Cairo after Egyptian investigators  failed to meet Italy’s expectations in providing evidence needed to uncover the mystery of Regeni’s death.

In May, Italy named Giampaolo Cantini as the new ambassador to Egypt to replace Massari.

Cantini has yet to assume his new post. 

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