Egyptian consul in Spain detained for attacking wife, daughter

Egypt’s consul in Madrid has returned to his home country after he was accused by his wife and daughter of assaulting them.

The Spanish newspaper El Diario reported that police in Madrid received a call on 13 July saying that a man had beaten his wife and daughter.

After taking all three to a police station, the police found out that the man was Egypt’s consul at its Madrid embassy.

El Diario said this wasn’t the first violent incident involving the consul, who it identified as Tarek A.

While the consul’s wife sought protection from the Spanish police for herself and her daughter, and was prepared to give a statement, officials from the Egyptian embassy intervened to persuade her to drop her complaint.

The embassy refused to remove the consul’s diplomatic immunity, and he walked free under Article 31 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which gives diplomats immunity from prosecution in the country they are based in.

In cases where diplomats have committed crimes, it is customary for their countries to withdraw them and try them on home soil.

However, the Egyptian embassy initially insisted on keeping Tarek A. in his post in Spain, without holding him to account for the assault on his wife and daughter.

Spain, however, has strong laws on domestic violence and the incident caused a diplomatic row between Egypt and Spain.

Al-Jazeera reported that the Spanish Foreign Minister, Josep Borrell, personally intervened in the case, putting pressure on the Egyptian embassy to return Tarek A. to his home country.

El Diario said on Monday that Tarek A. is now in Egypt and could face charges or disciplinary action there for his attack on his family members.

The consul is not the only Egyptian official to cause an incident in a foreign country recently.

Last week Egyptian immigration minister Nabila Makram became the target of outrage after making a speech in Canada suggesting that Egyptians who criticized their country while abroad should be killed.

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