CAIRO: Rumors still abound about the hooded Maadi attacker wielding a small knife, who has been targeting women and stabbing them in the back.
Officials claim only three girls have been injured but no deaths have been reported.
But the public is not convinced. The Daily Star Egypt spoke to some Cairo residents.
“We live in a quiet dark area in Maadi and my sister is panicking anything might happen to her daughter. I have to walk my 17-year-old niece to the metro station and back everyday so she can go to university. She can’t sleep at night for fear of someone attacking her or any of her friends who live nearby. Hadya Adel
“I have to give my 23-year-old daughter – a shop-assistant at a women’s boutique in Degla – taxi money. Her brothers call her every hour on her cell phone. I heard it is more than one man committing these crimes. Some say they are violent religious extremists. When they see a veiled girl walking by, they give her a book of sermons. And if she’s not unveiled they stab her. No one exactly knows the truth. Um Hassan, a maid
“I heard the criminal is stabbing girls even in broad daylight. I have no worry; I don’t live here and I usually finish work by 3 pm. Nagia who lives in Sayeda Zeinab but works at a Maadi pharmacy
“I heard the stabber is from Sayeda Zeinab but I don’t know why he chose Maadi to be the scene of such shocking acts. But I believe because search for him has intensified in Maadi, he will stop stabbing girls here. A young man who lives in Sayeda but visits Maadi occasionally
“I’m very scared. I’ve lived in Maadi since I was born and for the first time I feel threatened to walk in my street. This offender needs to be locked up. Dania Shilbaya, 20, student
“I don’t believe it. It’s like the safaah [ripper] rumor a few years ago; it’s just some people spreading gossip. Ahmed Hanafi, 20, student at the American University in Cairo, from Heliopolis
“I think people need to be careful because these killers really do exist. This guy in Maadi could come to Heliopolis and harm some girls here as well. Everyone needs to stay on the lookout. Yomna El Ezaby, 20, student at the German University in Cairo, from Heliopolis
“It’s weird that he’s harassed three veiled girls so far. It seems the killer has a certain category for what sort of girl he wants, which is a bit eccentric. I wish the police could investigate this immediately as a way to straighten things out. It’s a serious matter. Amina Hassaan, 21, student from Katameya
