Egypt: Suspect arrested after gruesome beheading in public

Egyptian police have arrested a man in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia following a gruesome murder yesterday, in which the victim was decapitated in the streets, shocking both witnesses and social media users, after footage was shared online.

The attack took place in broad daylight and the suspect is said to be seen in video footage carrying a blade and walking away with the victim’s severed head. He is also seen approaching another man in order to attack him, before being apprehended by member of the public, who proceed to beat him.

According to the Interior Ministry, the accused previously worked at a furniture store owned by the deceased’s brother, although a motive for the killing has not yet been established. Websites circulated testimonies of some witnesses making unverified claims that the murderer’s mother was raped by the victim.

The Ministry also said that the suspect has a history of mental illness and had been previously treated for drug addiction.

Egypt’s Public Prosecutor vowed, in a statement, “to quickly finish the investigations into the killing of the victim and the injury of two others on the main road in Ismailia.”

Speaking about the incident, Dr Sawsan Fayed, professor of Sociology told Asharq Al-Awsat that mental illness is a major factor in the spread of violent crimes of this nature, noting that “there are people who suffer from violence since birth, a condition that is difficult to treat and needs training and hard work.”

“Revenge of honour is one of the reasons why the accused, or the killer, boasts of his act, as happened in Ismailia; Where the murderer did not conceal his crime, but walked with the body of the victim in the street, in a kind of ostentation, perhaps caused by his desire to show his revenge for his honour, as it is rumoured,” she added.

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