Egyptian police 'investigated' Giulio Regeni days before his murder

Egyptian police investigated Italian student Giulio Regeni days before his abduction, torture and murder, but dropped the probe after assessing he posed no threat, Egyptian and Italian prosecutors said on Friday. Regeni, a 28-year-old Cambridge University PhD student, disappeared on 25 January in central Cairo. His body was later found by the side of a road bearing signs of brutal torture.

Egypt has denied that its security forces were involved, but Italy recalled its ambassador to Cairo in April in protest at what it said was a lack of progress in the investigation. The state prosecutor met his counterpart in Rome this week to further the investigation.

In a joint statement, the two prosecutors said Regeni, who was researching Egyptian street vendor trade unions, had been under investigation for three days by Egyptian police in January… This is the first official Egyptian acknowledgement that Regeni had been on the radar of security services.

Trade unions are an especially sensitive political issue in Egypt, with governments fearing strikes and labour unrest…

An Italian autopsy showed that his body was covered with cuts and his bones were broken, indicating he was hit with “fists, batons and hammers”.