US embassy cable - 05CAIRO4122

UNCLAS CAIRO 004122 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR NEA, NEA/ELA, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PTER, PGOV, EG, Bombing, Terror attacks 
SUBJECT: THE TERROR SUSPECT WHO BEAT HIMSELF TO DEATH:  A 
TALE OF DETENTION IN EGYPT 
 
REF: A. CAIRO 3184 
 
     B. CAIRO 2969 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
1. (SBU)  On May 22, the Egyptian Public Prosecutor announced 
that 27-year-old Ashraf Said Youssef, the alleged mastermind 
behind the April 7 and April 30 terror attacks on tourist 
sites in Cairo (reftels), died in custody on May 19. 
According to the GOE announcement, Youssef, who had been 
captured on April 29, died from self-inflicted injuries 
sustained after he beat his head against the wall of his 
detention cell.  After sustaining his injuries, Youssef had 
been admitted to hospital on May 11.  The Public Prosecutor's 
statement noted that he had been "notified by a police 
report" of Youssef,s death and then "decided to reassign the 
forensic doctor to perform an autopsy to ascertain the 
injuries that led to his death, and prepare an urgent report 
on his findings to present it to the public prosecution."  As 
of June 1, the forensic report had not been made public. 
 
2. (SBU)  Several Egyptian human rights groups, along with a 
number of independent and opposition newspapers, immediately 
disputed both the Public Prosecutor,s statement and the 
circumstances surrounding Youssef's death.  The Association 
for Human Rights Legal Aid (AHRLA) characterized the Public 
Prosecutor,s statement as "vague" and questioned why the 
Public Prosecutor would depend on a police report instead of 
waiting for the forensic report to be released.  The Egyptian 
Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) issued a statement on 
May 22 asserting that it has "strong doubts that Youssef,s 
death was not the result of torture or mistreatment."  EOHR 
further asserted that following Youssef's arrest in 
Menoufiyya governorate, he had no access to counsel, no 
contact with family, and the authorities had refused to 
disclose his place of detention.  EOHR demanded a full 
investigation into the incident, the public release of the 
results, and for "human rights groups and the National 
Council for Human Rights (NCHR) to be permitted to interview 
the people who were responsible for the defendant during the 
period of his preventive detention." 
 
3. (SBU)  Youssef,s death in custody was preceded by the 
death in custody sometime before April 27 of his cousin, 
Mohamed Suleiman Youssef, a 40-year-old primary school 
teacher from Shubra Al-Khayma, who had been arrested in the 
village of Amar, Qaliyubiyya Governorate, shortly after the 
April 7 attack.  EOHR and other human rights groups had 
called for an investigation into the circumstances 
surrounding Mohamed Suleiman Youssef's death in custody. 
Press accounts indicated that Ashraf Said Youssef learned of 
his cousin,s death on April 27 and decided to expedite 
planning for additional attacks, which Ashraf intially 
planned to avenge earlier arrests of other accomplices and/or 
relatives.  Ashraf Said Youssef's arrest on April 29 did not 
prevent the April 30 attacks from taking place. 
 
4. (SBU)  Comment:  Deaths in custody are not a new 
phenomenon in Egypt.  Over the past five years, at least 44 
detainees (including at least 10 in 2004, according to our 
Human Rights Report) have died in custody, allegedly victims 
of torture.  These two latest deaths in custody call 
attention, yet again, to the apparent use of brutal 
interrogation practices by the GOE security services.  End 
comment. 
 
 
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http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/cairo 
 
You can also access this site through the 
State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. 
 
GRAY