An Italian student living in Cairo, who has been missing since January 25, was found dead on the Cairo-Alex Desert Road, security sources said Thursday.
Giulio Regeni, 28,was found dead with signs of physical assault on his corpse, the sources added. The Italian Foreign Ministry made a statement Wednesday confirming the likelihood of Regeni's death.
“Prosecution services have ordered medical examiners to determine the cause of his death,” sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm.
"The Italian government had learnt of the probable tragic end to this affair," Italy's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to Reuters.
Security sources said that Federica Guidi, Italy's Industry Minister who led an economic delegation in a visit to Cairo Wednesday, cut the visit short and returned home upon hearing the news from Italy's Foreign Ministry.
Italy's embassy in Cairo also added that the delegation, which is comprised of representatives from major corporations, will have to leave in turn.
News websites were reporting that Regeni left his residence in an upper class Cairo suburb to meet a friend in the downtown area on January 25, but his friend said he failed to show up.
A series of security searches and arrests were reported in downtown prior to and on January 25, which marked the fifth anniversary of the 2011 uprising, preempting possible protests by opposition activists.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
