Swedish tourist ‘tortured in Egyptian jail’

A Swedish tourist claims he was beaten up and electrocuted in an Egyptian prison for four days before escaping when protesters set fire to the building. Aaed Nijim, 22, said police electrocuted his whole body, including his genitalia, beat him up and threatened to slice his throat after he was swooped upon while taking pictures of a mosque in the al-Abasia suburb of Cairo last week.

Speaking in an interview with Helsingbord Dabladet (HD) newspaper, Nijim said, “They took my camera and drove me to a prison where they hit and threatened me. They took off my clothes and gave electric shocks to my entire body.” “They put a knife to my throat. I’ve never been so afraid,” he added.

Nijim, who is originally from Qatar but has lived in Teckomatorp, southwest Sweden, for several years and holds a Swedish passport, says he was holidaying in Egypt when the anti-government protests began. Demonstrators have been taking to the streets for days, calling for president-of-30-years Hosni Mubarak to stand down.

After allegedly being told he would spend the rest of his life behind bars if he contacted the Swedish Embassy, Nijim claims he only managed to escape from his captors in the confusion caused when protesters set fire to the prison on Saturday (January 29). He claims he missed his flight home after his arrest and dramatic escape.

Swedish authorities confirmed that a Swede aged between 20 and 25 “said he had been in prison”. Foreign Ministry spokesman Tobias Nilsson told AFP that the man had not yet visited the Swedish Embassy for assistance, adding: “We cannot confirm what has happened to him”.