LONDON – London tried to reassure Cairo on Friday that Britain’s policewere investigating the death of an Egyptian girl, the victim of a mobattack which triggered outrage in her homeland.
Engineering student Mariam Moustafa, 18, was “punched several times”, inthe street in Nottingham, central England, police said, by a group of”threatening and abusive” women, before being followed onto a bus by thesame gang.
Partial footage of the February 20 attack, filmed at the back of the bus,has been circulating on social media.
Moustafa was left in a coma and died of her injuries on Wednesday.
Her death provoked anger in Egypt, notably on social media websites.
Cairo’s embassy in London said the “deep concern of the Egyptian public isevident” and called for those responsible to be “brought to justiceswiftly”.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Friday that he was “deeplysaddened by the death”
“My condolences to Mariam’s loved ones. I have assured Egyptian ForeignMinister (Sameh) Shoukry that Nottinghamshire Police are investigating thecase.”
The teenager’s father Mohamed Moustafa, 50, said: “I want justice for mydaughter — not just my daughter but also so this doesn’t happen to anothergirl or another boy.
“My daughter was like an angel. She would do anything for anyone.
“She meant the world to me.”
Nottinghamshire Police said it was treating the attack “very seriously” andwas “working hard to establish the circumstances”.
Responding to the thrust of social media posts, it said there was currently”no information to suggest the assault was motivated by hate but wecontinue to keep an open mind”.
A 17-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of assault occasioninggrievous bodily harm and released on bail.