Egyptian injured in Paris attacks mistakenly labeled a suspect

Friends of Waleed Abdel Razek started circulating pictures of him on social media after he went missing following a series of attacks in Paris, just as news simultaneously emerged of an Egyptian passport found on the body of one of the alleged assailants.

Several French and global media outlets reported that Syrian and Egyptian passports were found on the bodies of two suicide bombers involved in the attack at Stade de France, where Abdel Razek was attending a match on Friday night, prompting links to be drawn between the two.

It was only when he was found injured in hospital that he was deemed a victim of the attack rather than a perpetrator.

A series of coordinated attacks in Paris on Friday night left 140 people dead. The attacks were mounted inside a concert hall, at the Stade de France and at least two restaurants in the city. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks.

On Saturday night, Egyptian Ambassador to France Ihab Badawy dismissed reports that Abdel Razek was involved in the attack. In a phone call to Lamis al-Hadidy on Hona al-Asema, Badawy said his passport was naturally found at the scene because he was injured, confirming that no charges were brought against him.

Abdel Razek was reportedly accompanying his brother Wael to Paris, where he was undergoing cancer treatment.

In a phone call to Al-Hayah channel, Wael said his brother was at the entrance to the stadium ready to watch the match when the explosion struck, showering him with shrapnel. He added that his brother needs three surgeries for his injuries.

Wael dispelled rumors that Abdel Razek was involved in the attack. “Everyone who knows Waleed knows he has nothing to do with that,” he said.

Abdel Razek was tracked down by Dalia Hassan, an Egyptian resident in Paris, who said she was doing it as a favor, as she was contacted by a friend who knows the family. She said she had searched several hospitals for him for hours.

It wasn’t until an operator at a hospital, “who had enough patience and humanity,” told Hassan there was a patient from the Middle East admitted there that she found him.

“She asked me how tall he is and to describe him and what he was wearing, but I didn’t have that information,” Hassan told Mada Masr.

“It was his watch that eventually helped them identify him,” she said, adding that she got hold of his mother to confirm details.

Hassan said the whole process was “physically and psychological draining,” especially since it was difficult getting any information because it was considered confidential.

She cited a report in French news magazine Le Point, which printed Abdel Razek's picture, along with other information about him, deeming him a terrorist who was found at the stadium and died on the way to hospital.

“I tried to defend him on Twitter and I tried to prove them wrong,” she said. “I knew he wasn’t involved. My friend wouldn’t tell me to help someone like that.”

Hassan told Mada Masr that her friend had told her about his family and said that they were in Paris for medical reasons.

“We were in shock in light of the events and I got asked this favor,” she said. “Of course I was going to do it, I wanted to help as much as I could.”

Khaled Nasser, who was also involved in the search for Abdel Razek and has visited him in hospital since he was found, told Mada Masr that he is currently in a stable condition and is in a medically induced coma, having undergone three surgeries on Saturday.

Nasser, who has common friends with Abdel Razek, was put in contact with him when he traveled to Paris and the two were planning to meet.

Nasser then saw his picture online and put two and two together. He said, while the media implied that he was one of the attackers, he credits the embassy in Paris for dissociating Abdel Razek from the attack, and confirming to the French authorities that he was one of the victims. 

One of the fatalities of the attack was also Egyptian, Serendade Gamil, Egypt’s consul general in Paris told MBC Masr satellite channel on Sunday evening.

She identified him as 29 year-old Salah Emad al-Gebali, who was a resident of France, and said that he most likely lost his life at or near the Bataclan Theater.

According to the privately-owned Al-Tahrir newspaper, at least six Arabs lost their lives in the attacks. The paper published the names, photos, and short biographies of these six — made up of two Tunisians, two Algerians, one Moroccan and one Egyptian.