NICOSIA, Cyprus: An Egyptian hijacker who's fighting his extradition says Egypt's military-backed government "must have tortured and murdered" an Italian doctoral student who he claims he saw being interrogated in a Cairo prison.
Seif Eddin Mustafa told a Cypriot court Thursday he hijacked the domestic EgyptAir flight in March intending to seek asylum in Italy in order to "point the finger" at Egypt's "fascist regime."
Mustafa said he caught a glimpse of a "foreign-looking" person in Lazogli prison during his nearly two-month detention there in December and January.
Mustafa said he recognized Giulio Regeni from photos he came across after his release.
Regeni was abducted in Cairo on Jan. 25 and his body — which bore signs of severe torture — was found nine days later on a suburban Cairo road.
AP
