Crime Night

Al-Safi was considered one of the kindest and most trustworthy men in his village. In 2017, on the eve of Eid al-Adha, he brutally murdered a respected livestock trader, Al-Hajj Al-Sayyed, along with the trader’s wife and two sons. He had learned that Al-Sayyed had recently sold livestock and was keeping 17,000 Egyptian pounds at home. Motivated by greed, Al-Safi attacked the family to take the mo...

This excerpt recounts the story of Israa Ghrayeb, a young Palestinian makeup artist whose death ignited widespread anger across the Arab world. Ambitious and independent, Israa reportedly faced jealousy from her cousin Reham and growing tension with relatives after she posted photos with her fiancé online. Soon after, male members of her family brutally beat her under the pretext of protecting the...

Describes how Amal, after marrying Saber in a village in Sohag, Egypt, slowly alienated him from his widowed mother, Haja Sariya. Over five years she turned their once-respectable home into a discreet brothel, manipulating Saber and intimidating his mother to keep the operation hidden. When she began to fear exposure and coveted Haja Sariya’s savings, Amal and an accomplice killed the elderly woma...

This excerpt recounts how a high-profile 1917 murder of a wealthy Frenchman in Egypt became a landmark case for early forensic science. Because the victim was a foreign national during World War I, the investigation was rushed into the Mixed Courts under heavy French diplomatic pressure. Dr. Sydney Smith, then a young but innovative forensic scientist, examined the luxury crime scene and establish...

The story describes how Nagwa and her husband Mahmoud set up an organized spouse-swapping network in Alexandria, presenting it as “freedom” while actually turning it into a profitable business. Nagwa took the lead, using social-media pages and encrypted messaging groups to recruit and manage participants, while Mahmoud enabled and benefited from the scheme. A bribed building doorman, Abd Al-Gawad,...

In 2012, a brutal crime in Minya, Egypt, shocked the public when three of trader Karem’s children were found stabbed inside their home, with only the eldest initially surviving. Police at first faced conflicting information and Karem’s insistence on his own innocence. Investigators later uncovered that Karem was having an affair with a married neighbor, Reem. Her brother Saeed, who lived in Cairo,...

A taxi driver named Mahmoud was found murdered in Bani Suef, Egypt, his blood-soaked vehicle abandoned nearby. Police quickly focused on two suspicious men, Ragaab and Waleed, who had been seen near the taxi and were tied to the crime through witness statements and forensic evidence, including a phone call Waleed had made to the victim shortly before the killing. Ragaab confessed to stabbing Mahmo...

A retired baker named Ahmed returned to his Cairo apartment to a horrific scene: his wife, Anwar, had been savagely killed, and the gas left running to spark an explosion that would destroy the evidence. At first, investigators suspected a robbery—money and gold were missing, and the apartment showed signs of a staged break-in. But a small detail raised doubts: two untouched cups of tea on the tab...

In 1994 Cairo, a shocking case unfolded inside a family apartment when two sisters, Huda and Abeer, violently turned on their mother, Hekmat. What began as a heated confrontation spiraled into an almost surreal scene of escalating aggression: the daughters displayed extraordinary strength, frenzied behavior, and bursts of hysterical laughter as they assaulted their mother. Neighbors and family mem...

Muhammad, known as “The Don Juan,” lived a turbulent life marked by six marriages, each reflecting his instability and hidden problems. His early unions collapsed quickly due to undisclosed sexual health issues, bursts of anger, and growing paranoia. His second marriage lasted nine years and produced three children, but it too ended in divorce. Obsessed with proving his masculinity and self-worth,...

In 1988, the Imbaba district of Egypt was shaken by the discovery of a completely charred body dumped inside a trash bin. At first, investigators believed it belonged to a student, but forensic analysis later determined the victim was a woman of about thirty who had been savagely tortured and then burned alive. The case quickly became one of the most significant files for Egypt’s forensic medicine...

Amira, known as “Amira the Dangerous,” was a young woman who married Nasser, a much older but wealthy man. Over the course of eleven years and four children, she slowly built a double life. With Nasser’s money, she persuaded him to open a supermarket in her name, which she secretly used as a meeting place for affairs with younger employees—most notably Mahmoud, who became her lover and accomplice....

Nourhan, a 29-year-old woman from a respected family in Minya, built a double life as a career swindler. She first dabbled in crime by illegally selling medicine out of her father’s pharmacy, then moved into investment scams with an associate named Amr, which led to her first prison sentence. After her release, she and Amr married, shifted to Giza, and organized a larger criminal network. With the...

Mina Moussa, a 20-year-old nurse, was lured from his hometown to Cairo by a fake job offer. Soon afterward, his dismembered remains were discovered scattered in the Ismailia Canal and nearby areas, sparking a major public-opinion case in Egypt because of the crime’s brutality and Mina’s reputation as a good-natured young man. Police investigations led to the arrest of two men, Mostafa and Ibrahim,...

Ahmed, despite coming from a respectable family, was known for being lazy and entirely dependent on others. Determined to secure a wealthy wife to support him, he married Iman, an older woman from a troubled but affluent family, lured by promises of money, land, and a job in Kuwait. Their brief marriage quickly descended into bitterness as both sides tried to manipulate and exploit the other throu...

Amal, a woman from Upper Egypt, initially enjoyed a happy and prosperous life with her husband, Yousri. As their fortunes grew, Amal became increasingly fearful of jealousy and the evil eye, turning to magic and sorcery to protect her marriage. She obtained a mysterious book from a spiritual healer, and over time, her mental state deteriorated. Influenced by her delusions, Amal imagined her husban...

Abd Rabbo, known as the "Ghārbiya Ripper," was responsible for a series of murders in Egypt, culminating with his final victim, Fāṭima, nicknamed "Baṭṭa," whose dismembered body was discovered by locals. Investigations into her disappearance and her social circle led police to Abd Rabbo, who confessed to her murder as well as four previous killings. His troubled childhood included the death of his...

The Lavon Affair in Egypt, 1954, involved a covert Israeli operation codenamed Operation Suzanna. A series of fires at Egyptian, American, and British facilities in Alexandria and Cairo were revealed to be deliberate acts of sabotage aimed at straining Egypt’s relations with Western powers. Investigations uncovered identical incendiary devices and distinctive eyeglass cases, leading authorities to...

In Lebanon in 2023, the fifteen-year marriage of Fadi and Lina collapsed due to Lina’s controlling behavior, her alienation of Fadi from his family, and an affair with Fadi’s close friend, Fidaa. During divorce proceedings, Lina secretly poisoned Fadi by slipping a tasteless, odorless substance into his favorite dish, mulukhiyah. After the poisoning, she and Fidaa murdered him and attempted to des...

Fatimah and Abbas met while studying medicine in Egypt, and their relationship escalated from admiration to a secret, illicit affair. Fatimah became obsessively attached to Abbas, and when he decided to end the relationship, she manipulated a mutual acquaintance, Farouq—who was in love with her and owed money by Abbas—into carrying out a murder plot. Using Farouq’s grievances and affection, Fatima...

In Giza, Egypt, in 1999, a fire report quickly turned into a horrific murder investigation when authorities discovered two young sisters. Ten-year-old Shahinaaz had been brutally stabbed 38 times and set on fire with kerosene, while her three-year-old sister, Hadeer, survived smoke inhalation. The crime also involved the theft of 3,000 Egyptian pounds. Investigators eventually focused on Afaf, the...

Ashraf and Sabah’s story ended in tragedy with the discovery of seven bodies: Sabah, her four children, her husband Ashraf, and another man, Al-Hussaini. Investigations revealed a web of betrayal and violence rooted in the couple’s troubled pasts. Sabah had been unfaithful, engaging in an affair with Ashraf’s close friend Al-Hussaini. Consumed by jealousy and rage, Ashraf murdered Sabah, her child...

Dr. Khaled, a pharmacist who maintained a reputation as a highly religious and honorable man for two decades, hid a dark and disturbing life. Motivated by financial gain, he married his classmate Nadia to access her family’s wealth, manipulating her to place a pharmacy in her name and gradually gaining her complete trust. The truth came to light when Nadia discovered that Khaled was a sexual abuse...

Mahmoud Moafi, a respected and religious man from Mansoura, Egypt, shocked his community when he murdered his mother, Haja Narjes. Once known for his piety and good standing, Mahmoud began exhibiting strange behaviors, including hallucinations and violent convulsions. Family members interpreted these actions as the result of sorcery or demonic possession, though a psychiatrist confirmed he was phy...

Heitham and Yasmin’s marriage began as a passionate love story but slowly unraveled under the weight of Heitham’s addiction to the drug “Ice.” His substance abuse, combined with interference from his family, fueled paranoid delusions and growing mistrust. At one point, Heitham even filed a lawsuit denying paternity of their children, leading to a temporary separation between the couple. After rela...