Egypt transfers police chief suspected of Regeni murder

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Egyptian Interior Ministry made limited reshuffles among its senior security officials affecting one of the main suspects in the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni, according to local media.

In the reshuffles approved by Minister Mahmoud Tawfiq on Tuesday, the head of National Security Agency Maj. Gen. Tariq Saber was transferred to the position of Assistant Minister for Civilian Affairs, Egyptian dailes reported.

Saber’s transfer grabbed attention as he is accused by the Italian prosecution for being among five people behind the killing of Regeni in Cairo in 2016.

Local observers see the transfer of Saber from the Presidency of the National Security Agency to the Civil Status Department comes to "freeze and limit his broad influence” as he oversaw various political security files.

Late last month, Egypt’s prosecutor-general's office said it would temporarily withhold a criminal case in the killing of Regeni citing lack of information about the identity of the murderer, and called for the exclusion of five security personnel accused of involvement in the murder by Italy's prosecutor-general.

“There is no point in filing a criminal case in the incident of killing, detaining, and torturing Regeni temporarily, because the perpetrator is not known, and the search authorities are tasked with conducting an investigation to find out," it added.

The Italian Foreign Ministry described Egypt’s statement as “unacceptable” and vowed to uncover the truth and resolve the case through international diplomatic channels.

"The allegations of the Public Prosecution in Egypt regarding the tragic death of Regeni in 2016 are unacceptable," the Italian ministry said.

Giulio Regeni, a 28-year-old doctoral student studying in Egypt, vanished on Jan. 25, 2016 -- the fifth anniversary of a popular uprising that forced President Hosni Mubarak to step down after 30 years in power.

Nine days later, Regeni's body was found on a highway in Cairo.

While Egyptian authorities deny any involvement in the student’s death, many have noted that the signs of torture on the young man's body were uncannily similar to those caused by Egyptian police torture.

* Ibrahim Mukhtar contributed to this report from Ankara.