Egyptian man gets death sentence for gruesome street killing

An Eyptian court on Wednesday sentenced a man to death for beheading another man in a gruesome street murder that shocked the country two months ago.

The Criminal Court in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia convicted Abdel-Rahman Nazmy of killing one person, attempted killing of two others and illegal possession of a knife he used in the November 1 crime.

The suspect was arrested shortly after the attack on a busy Ismailia street. The attack was captured on video that quickly went viral, setting off an uproar across Egypt. In gruesome detail, the video shows the beheading itself, then shows the killer carrying the head around and waving the large, bloodied knife as bystanders can be heard screaming.

The man was arrested following the attack in which he also stabbed two other men when they attempted to subdue him.

The court had referred the case in early December to Egypt’s top religious authority, Grand Mufi Shawki Allam, for a non-binding opinion on whether the defendant should be hanged. The cleric approved the death penalty.

At the time of the attack, the interior ministry, which oversees the police, said the attacker had previously worked at a furniture store owned by the slain man’s brother. It also said he has a history of mental illness and had been previously treated for drug addiction.

Wednesday’s verdict can be appealed before a higher court.