Maadi murder: suspects admit theft, deny killing intention

CAIRO – 17 October 2020: TV Host Amr Adib aired on Friday a video of the confessions of the two thieves who robbed and killed a 25-year-old woman in Maadi on Tuesday, and who were arrested the following day.

"I got the car (microbus) in the morning, and then I met Mohamed. We kept searching for someone whom we can steal. We found a woman in Maadi, we snatched the bag (backpack) from her, and we ran away heading to the highway in the direction of Dar Al Salam. We found in the bag LE85, credits cards, ID card, and cosmetics," Walid Abdel Rahman (34), one of the defendants, said.

"We transported passengers between 7:00 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. We later decided to try to snatch a bag. Before heading to Maadi, we covered the metal car number plate with tar. We kept roaming the streets until we found a veiled woman so we followed her. While I was snatching the bag, the woman kept resisting until she fell on the ground. I got the bag, and Walid drove away," Mohamed Osama, the other defendant said.    

The victim, Mariam, was killed after one of the muggers in a microbus yanked her backpack, causing her head to smash with a nearby car, the Egyptian Public Prosecution said, citing an eyewitness.

As per the initial investigations, the defendants confessed that they robbed the girl and ran away, without knowing that she was killed. They insisted that they did not mean to kill her.

This refutes an earlier claim on social media that the motive behind the incident was harassment.