Cairo court seeks Mufti’s opinion for execution of man who killed three Egyptians in Qatar

The culprit had fled to Cairo after committing the crime in Doha in April last year

Published: 15 July 2024

NT Bureau
Doha

The Cairo Criminal Court decided on Monday to refer the papers of an Egyptian accused of killing three Egyptians in Qatar to the Grand Mufti of the country to obtain his legal opinion on his execution.

The court set a session on September 8 to issue the verdict after receiving the Mufti’s opinion, Egyptian media have reported.

The accused, an Egyptian, killed three Egyptians in Doha in April in 2023 and he had admitted to the crime before a court in Cairo in the first such case that has gripped both nations.

The accused killed two brothers and their friend, identified as Ali Shabaan, and siblings Abdelsalam and Jom’a Mahrous, after a failed drug and robbery operation.

“I used to see them put their money in a safe inside the house…I decided to drug them, rob them and run away,” the killer told Cairo’s Public Prosecution Office, according to a previous report by Egyptian daily Al Masry Al Youm.

The three Egyptian men were stabbed to death in their home in Doha by the accused. He had reportedly travelled to Qatar for the World Cup last year but decided to stay to look for a job. He was offered accommodation by three Egyptians as he looked for a job and he had murdered the same three people who helped him.

However, after months of failing to get a job, they suggested he return to Egypt.

The culprit said he bought a drug which he placed in the drink of the two brothers. However, the victims woke up moments later and found him attempting to steal their belongings.

“They were dizzy and unable to move, so I managed to kill them…Then their friend entered and witnessed the whole thing, so he tried to hit me, but I stabbed him with a knife,” the accused said.

The culprit had fled to Cairo after committing the crime and was immediately arrested upon his arrival at Cairo’s airport. The report said the arrest came following coordination between the Interpol and Egyptian authorities.

The court order stated that the murders were premeditated with the intention of theft.