Egypt's 'Butcher of Giza' details two more gruesome murders, bringing total killing to four

New investigations in Egypt have revealed the gory details of vile series of murders by a suspect dubbed the 'Butcher of Giza'.
3 min read
17 November, 2020
The serial killer got away with the murders until he was caught 'by chance'. [Getty]
An Egyptian man has allegedly confessed to killing two more victims and has led the police to the bodies, Egyptian media reports said on Monday.

The suspected serial killer, Al-Qaddafi Faraj, is standing trial after reportedly confessing to four murder accounts as well as committing other crimes including identity theft and robbery.

Faraj, dubbed as the "Butcher of Giza", was arrested on suspicion of stealing money and jewelry from a woman he married after using a stolen identity.

Investigations carried out by the Egyptian court found that Faraj's first alleged victim was a woman he was engaged to after having relations with her sister.

When the fiancee threatened to out his affair she was killed and buried inside his Giza apartment in the Bulaq Ad Daqrur neighbourhood, reports said.

Faraj also killed his wealthy childhood friend - Rida - in 2015 after the latter, a resident of Saudi Arabia, wanted to reclaim investment money Faraj was said to have stolen from him while he was abroad.

When Rida was on a trip to Egypt, prosecutors claim Faraj invited the man around to his home for dinner and poisoned him, after preparing a two-metre-hole inside his Giza apartment to dispose the body.

To conceal the murder, the killer sent a text message from the victim's phone to his wife, saying he had been arrested without disclosing further details. He then took on his victim's identity and moved to Iskandaria and married a pharmacist. 

Farraj's new wife found out he married another woman using a fake name and asked for a divorce. The serial killer retaliated by putting on a niqab (an Islamic covering for women), stole money and jewelry after breaking into her apartment. 

She reported him to the police, leading to the first arrest for robbery. 

By chance, Rida's family - who beleived at the time he was being held in incommunicado detention - found his name and went to the see him. 

Instead, they found an impersonator and notified the police, prompting further investigations which led them to the series of murders.

Egypt's police retreived the bodies of the victims, who went missing nearly five years ago, after new information re-surfaced. Investigations are ongoing on the case.

According to local reports, Faraj was married several times and presented his wives with forged marriage documents. One report said he also forced abortion on a woman he married in July 2019.

Read also: Egyptian woman commits suicide after intimate video leaked

In a phone interview with Egypt's TeN channel, his wife said he was a "brilliant actor", adding that she too was fooled by him.

"He makes you feel like he's a normal, good person who practices religion," she said.

After the news broke out in Egypt, harrowed Egyptians took to social media to express discontent with the country's security agencies for failing to capture the killer earlier.

"He was arrested by chance and if not for that he would just kept going," Essam Abbas wrote in a tweet.
"When I read about this crime two days ago, I couldn't believe it! Where were the police while all these calamities took place. All those people killed. There needs to be diligent investigations," another person wrote.


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