In a case that has shocked the nation, Egypt’s prosecutor-general on Monday submitted an Uber driver to the criminal court. The woman was allegedly attempted to be abducted by the male, who died after exiting the vehicle mid-trip.
After testing positive for drugs, the driver—whose name has not been released—is accused of trying to kidnap Habiaba El-Shamaa, 24, possessing cannabis, and operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, according to a statement issued this morning by the prosecutor general’s office and cited by local news outlets.
Shaimaa was in a coma for three weeks before to her death in an incident that brought attention to women’s safety in Egypt and even prompted President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to step in.
In the wake of Shamaa’s death—dubbed ‘El-Shorouk Girl’ because of the site of the incident—the victim’s family’s attorney, Mohamed Amin, requested that the prosecution “legally modify the previous charge of attempted manslaughter to premeditated murder.”
On February 21, Shamaa was seriously hurt when she leaped out of a moving automobile on a highway close to Shourouk City, which is outside of Cairo. She suffered internal bleeding, brain hemorrhage, and bone fractures.
According to the driver’s statement during interrogation, he sprayed perfume inside the vehicle to eliminate the smell of smoke. He believes that Shamaa might have misunderstood the perfume scent as an anesthetic. The driver denied all accusations and stated that he was taken aback when Shamaa suddenly jumped out of the moving vehicle.
Lawyer Amin has filed a complaint against Uber with the Ministry of Transport. In the complaint, he called for the revocation of the car-sharing app’s license. This was because the company’s legal representative refused to take accountability for an incident and instead blamed the driver.
According to the statement, the company’s lawyer claimed that the driver had been blocked from using the Uber app in the past. This was after a female rider had accused him of physically harassing her.
