Interpol Extradites Three Egyptians Implicated in ‘Fairmont Gang Rape’ from Lebanon to Egypt

Three Egyptians arrested by Lebanese forces in August in relation to the gang rape of a young woman at the Fairmont Nile City hotel in Cairo in 2014 have been extradited by Interpol to Egypt and arrived at Cairo International Airport on Thursday morning.

The news was confirmed by the Egyptian Public Prosecution in a statement on Thursday evening, which identified the three Egyptians as Ahmed Helmy Ezzat Toulan, Amr Hussein Mahmoud Ismail and Khaled Hussein Mahmoud Ismail.

Local Egyptian media have shared a photograph of the three Egyptians after they were handed over to Egyptian authorities in Cairo.

The three Egyptians were located by Lebanese security forces after the country received a notice from Interpol for the arrest of seven Egyptians wanted for questioning in relation to the rape and related sexual crimes.

“On 27 August, the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces received a memo from the office of the Interpol in Egypt which consisted of the names of seven Egyptians, located in Lebanon, accused of raping a woman in 2014 at a hotel in Cairo and that a video of the incident was recently received by the Egyptian judiciary,” read the statement released by the Lebanese General Directorate of Internal Security Forces in August.

The statement continued that security forces acted immediately to conduct necessary investigations, but that only three Egyptians were still in Lebanon at the time the memo from Interpol was received. The three Egyptians had left the hotels they were staying in, with their belongings abandoned in their hotel rooms. However, the statement added that Lebanese forces were able to locate the three Egyptians after further investigations and arrested them on 28 August 2020 at a hideout.

As of the date of publication, Egypt’s Public Prosecution has not clarified what charges the three Egyptians are facing. In a statement in August, Egypt’s Public Prosecution said that it was coordinating with Interpol to capture seven Egyptians who fled Egypt after being implicated in the 2014 gang rape, now widely known as the ‘Fairmont Incident’ and the ‘Fairmont Crime’ (جريمة الفيرمونت).

At least two Egyptians implicated in the gang rape and related sexual crimes remain fugitives abroad.

While investigations into the Fairmont case received heightened attention in August, the Public Prosecution has been silent since the first week of September and it remains unclear what the status of the investigations is. During the investigations, a number of acquaintances of the accused rapists and the victims were detained for questioning and pending further investigations into other criminal behaviour (as deemed by Egyptian law). The Public Prosecution has not released further information about their status and whether they will be facing any charges.

What is the Fairmont Crime?

The Fairmont crime involved the drugging and gang rape of a young woman at a private after party at the five-star Fairmont Nile City hotel. The rape was captured on video and allegedly shared by the alleged rapists and their acquaintances.

The alleged gang rape of the young woman had remained unspoken about for years, only to come to light publicly after the landmark Ahmed Bassam Zaki case, which saw the alleged serial rapist and harasser arrested after being accused of rape and sexual abuse by dozens of women.

Both male and female acquaintances of the alleged rapists were aware of sexual crimes committed by the accused gang rapists, but remained silent – some out of fear and others out of solidarity.

Speaking to Egyptian Streets, a number of sources confirmed the presence of a number of the alleged rapists at the scene of the alleged crime on 21 February 2014.

An investigative report by Egyptian Streets published on Tuesday 5 August revealed that the victim was drugged, repeatedly raped and degraded by a number of men.

Egyptian Streets also received information that evidence has been received by lawyers in relation to at least one other alleged related rape carried out by some of the men allegedly involved in the Fairmont crime and that, as of Tuesday 4 August 2020, official legal complaints have been filed.

Egyptian Streets’ full report, including information about the evidence that has come to light and details of the various sexual crimes, is available by clicking here.

Any victims of sexual crimes or domestic abuse in Egypt needing support or willing to come forward to expose their abusers can contact the National Council for Women at 15115 for assistance.