Sharqia Girl Salma Bahgat Stabbed to Death for Ending Relationship

Twenty-year-old Salma Bahgat was deliberately stabbed to death, on the morning of Tuesday 9 August, 2022 by suspect Islam Mohamed in front of a Zagazig courthouse.

Mohamed, 22, is currently in custody and being questioned by the public prosecution.

Reports claim that Mohamed murdered Bahgat after she chose to terminate their relationship. According to the Egyptian Public Prosecution’s statement, the homicide took place in Zagazig, close to where Bahgat’s friend worked. The Public Prosecution “seized the recording devices of the surveillance machines in the vicinity of the place, the weapon used in the crime, the phones of the victim and the accused.”

This is in addition to the “ordering of a forensic investigation” of the crime scene.

The victim was stabbed 17 times, with a number of witnesses coming forward with their testimonies. The suspect was immediately taken into custody by security in the area, as ambulances rushed Bahgat’s body to the morgue at Al-Ahrar Hospital.

A postmortem examination revealed that Bahgat had 15 stab wounds to her front and two in the back.

When interviewed, the accused was seen with ‘Salma my love’ written on his chest, and ‘Salma’ on his right arm in red.

According to state-owned news outlet Al-Ahram, Bahgat was a student at the Faculty of Information at El Shorouk Academy. She and the suspect were colleagues at the institution.

Incidents of homicides are no rare occurrence in Egypt.

A similar incident gripped public outcry, when young Nayera Ashraf was killed in front of Mansoura University for rejecting the advances of her colleague on 20 June. The suspect, Mohamed Adel, 21, was issued a death penalty verdict after approval from Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawki Allam, per Egypt’s penal code.

This is a developing story.