Senior officer linked to Morsi trial killed

Security was on high alert Monday morning around the Police Mosque in Cairo, where the funeral of a senior officer killed late Sunday was held. Both Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi and Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim attended the funeral.

Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Mabrouk, a National Security officer linked to the trial of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, was killed by unknown gunmen in Nasr City. Mabrouk was shot seven times by three unknown assailants as he left for work at around 10:30 pm Sunday.

Various security sources were quoted in state media saying that Mabrouk handled the Islamist file, namely cases relating to individuals connected to the Muslim Brotherhood.

An unnamed security source told Egynews portal Monday that Mabrouk was in charge of several cases connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, including the Wadi al-Natroun prison break, in which ousted President Morsi is implicated, and the Warraq Church shooting which occurred last month.

Mabrouk was also a key witness in Morsi’s ongoing case, where he faces charges of spying alongside Hamas in order to conduct violent attacks on police stations and officers in Egypt, the source added.

The prime minister offered his condolences for the death of the officer. In a statement posted on the Cabinet’s Facebook page Monday, Beblawi vowed to fight terrorist and criminal groups, stressing that security bodies are capable of "cleansing" the country of “criminal hands,” and restoring peace and security across Egypt.