A deliberate run-over incident involving a family of five members – mother, father, and three children – in the “Madinaty” luxurious suburb northeast of Cairo, sparked widespread anger in Egypt and the Arab world.
The incident, in which a medical officer in the Egyptian Armed Forces Medical Services Corps is accused, resulted in the mother’s death, after suffering a hemorrhage, and injury to her husband and three children.
A high-profile Egyptian military source told Daily News Egypt on condition of anonymity that the supreme command of the army stressed the need to achieve prompt justice against the defendant who works as a captain in the Armed Forces medical services and is facing charges of killing his neighbor and injuring her family.
“We fully respect the rule of law. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces will spare no effort to achieve prompt justice against the defendant, he will face the adequate and prompt penalty,” The high-profile military source said.
The source indicated that the Military Prosecution is investigating the incident extensively.
Egyptian Armed Forces releases a statement
Egypt’s army released a statement on Tuesday confirming that the Military Prosecution had launched investigations and assigned the defendant to the crimes of “Intentional and Attempted murder,” adding that it was decided to hold him in pretrial detention pending the case and refer him to the Military Criminal Court.
As part of its statement, the Egyptian Armed Forces also confirmed that it adheres to the rule of law.
At the time of the incident, Egyptian media and newspapers circulated different accounts of its details and causes. Some believed it was due to excessive speed. In contrast, others confirmed that it was due to momentary disputes last Saturday between the neighbors, “the perpetrator and the victim’s family.”
Ministry of Interior denies involvement
On Sunday evening, the Egyptian Ministry of Interior issued a brief statement denying the validity of what was circulated on social media that the perpetrator of the crime is a police officer.
The statement indicated that the accident resulted in the death of a “pharmacist” woman and the injury of other family members.
Narrative of victim’s husband
The “Sahih Egypt” news account quoted an interview it had with the victim pharmacist husband, saying: “Hamdan Zaki is a veterinarian who works in a pharmaceutical company in Kuwait, and his wife, Basma Ali, is a pharmacist working in the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health, and they have three children, Yassin, 11 years old, and Nour, 9 years old, and the youngest Ahmed, 7 years old, and they were on a short vacation in Cairo, where they own a house in my city.”
The incident began – according to the husband’s account – after his eldest son hit a car with a scooter in front of the villa next to his house, scratching it.
The husband added that he stepped out with his three children and his wife, Basma, to search for the car owner to apologize. The officer left his house in anger. A verbal argument broke out between them, which then developed into a sharp altercation, then he drove his car and ran over the entire family.
According to the “Sahih Masr” and “Matsadakash”, two fact-checking platforms on social media interested in reviewing the misleading information that is published, the officer turned himself in to the First Settlement Police Station, after which he was transferred to the Military Prosecution, which took over the investigation, confirming that he had confessed to killing his wife on purpose.
Pharmacists Syndicate is following up on investigations
The General Syndicate of Egyptian Pharmacists mourns Basma Ali, who died in a run-over accident in Madinati, Cairo.
In its statement, the Pharmacists Syndicate expressed its wishes for a speedy recovery for the husband and children of the pharmacist who died in the accident.
Syndicate representatives have confirmed their follow-up with investigation procedures regarding the “brutal assault” incident, calling for a trial.
The Arabic hashtag “Madinaty Incident” has been trending on social media for two days, expressing anger and condemnation.
Tweeps and commentators described the incident as a heinous crime, calling for the perpetrator to be tried and held accountable as soon as possible.
The “Sahih Masr” news account circulated video clips showing the incident through surveillance cameras installed in nearby houses. This indicates that it was obtained from one of the eyewitnesses to the run-over incident.
