Cairo demands probe into Egyptian prisoner's death in Germany

The Egyptian embassy in Berlin has contacted German officials over the reported death of an Egyptian prisoner in the northwestern city of Essen.

"The embassy filed an official memorandum to the German foreign ministry yesterday morning requesting prompt information on the circumstances surrounding the imprisonment and death of the Egyptian young man," Egypt's foreign ministry said in a statement.

"Demands have been made as to why the embassy was not notified immediately."

The Egyptian ambassador in Berlin has also contacted Germany's interior ministry and public prosecutor's office for a clarification on the matter.

In response, German officials have promised to investigate the matter as soon as possible and update the Egyptian embassy accordingly.

Egyptian media reports said the German embassy in Cairo explained in a statement that an investigation was underway into the death of Mohammed Abdel Fattah, who died in a hospital in Essen on 22 June.

According to the reports, the embassy emphasised that there was no evidence of foul play in Fattah's death.

Abdel Fattah's death was first reported by his father during an interview on a privately-owned TV channel, where he claimed that his son was tortured and killed by German police officers.

The Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs summoned the family of the deceased for talks.

Abdel Fattah's father claims that his son was buried before the Egyptian embassy was notified of the death.

He said that his son was resident in Italy before moving to Germany where he was picked up by police.

Egypt is in the middle of a diplomatic row with Italy, after an Italian student was found dead earlier this year with clear signs of torture. His family and many others believe he was killed by security forces.