Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio on Thursday called for more help from Egypt in solving the brutal 2016 killing of 28-year-old doctoral student Giulio Regeni - a murder that caused a diplomatic rift.
During talks in Rome with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry "Luigi Di Maio asked once again, forcefully, for more bilateral cooperation to ensure that those responsible for this barbaric killing are brought to justice," read a foreign ministry tweet.
Regeni's tortured, semi-naked body was found along a highway outside Cairo in early February 2016, nine days after he vanished in the capital. He has been researching the politically sensitive topic of independent trade unions in Egypt at the time of his disappearance.
After Regeni's body was discovered, Egyptian authorities offered various explanations, including that Regeni had been hit by a vehicle. Later, they claimed he was a victim of a robbery.
The Egyptian government denies its security forces abducted and killed Regeni, as many in Italy and western diplomatic circles suspect.
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