The picture of the late Giulio Regeni, Italian student tortured and killed, after being accused as spy (Image via: BBC)

Accused as Spy, Italian Student Tortured and Murdered by Egyptian

Disappeared at Cairo metro station since January 2016, Regeni’s body was found lying by the roadside with gruesome marks allegedly came from series of torture and beating.
Giuseppe Pignatone, Rome’s chief prosecutor, conducted a joint investigation with Egyptian police in order to spark light into the bleak case. The result was then published in the second commemoration of Regeni’s murder case.

Researching into the Egypt’s independent labor union for his doctoral degree, a rather sensitive issue in the nation, Regeni was marked and monitored until the day he vanished. On 25 January 2016, Regeni was missing. The account of the deceased’s missing was heard from an anonymous tip heard from a conversation between Egyptian intelligence agents, referring to Regeni as “Italian man”. Pignatone counted on the tip and asked for the agent’s whereabouts and the details of the conversation. He pointed out that what Regeni was doing at that time alerted Egyptian state apparatus, who grew hesitant with the research; hence allegedly ordered a black operation over Regeni. Nonetheless, the police department denied their involvement in the case, in spite of many accusations.

On 24 March 2016, a shootout occurred between police and a gang, alleged to be the culprits. The police wiped out all of the gang members.
This incident put a temporal tension between Egypt and Italy, who considered Egypt as irresponsible, due to the lack of probe to the matter. The tension was so severe that Italy decided to withdraw its ambassador to Egypt in April 2016, only to send a new one at the following year.

Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/05/06/world/crime-legal-world/egypt-thought-italian-student-british-spy-tortured-murdered-report/#.XNAQwo4zbIU