Egypt executes man convicted of murdering Coptic Orthodox priest

The sentence was carried out after all stages of the judicial process were completed and the defendant had exhausted his available legal remedies, bringing to an end a case that lasted more than four years from the murder to the execution of the final sentence.

According to the lawyer representing the priest’s family, Egyptian authorities carried out the death sentence, the most severe punishment under the country’s law, after investigators and courts found the defendant responsible for intentional homicide.

The execution took place after Egypt’s Court of Cassation rejected the defendant’s final appeal and confirmed a previous ruling by the Alexandria Criminal Court, making the sentence final and enforceable.

The case dates back to April 7, 2022, when Wadid, a priest of the Coptic Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary and Saint Paul the Apostle in the Karmouz-Moharam Bek district of Alexandria, was attending a weekly parish meeting on one of the city’s beaches. As participants boarded buses after the meeting, Wadid, who was dressed in clerical garb and helping organize the match, was attacked from behind and fatally stabbed. Those present restrained the attacker and handed him over to security forces. Wadid was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Although legal proceedings initially progressed quickly, with the defendant being referred to the criminal court weeks after the murder and sentenced to death by hanging, the decision was not final at the time and remained pending while the Court of Cassation considered his appeals.

In January 2025, the Court of Cassation rejected the defendant’s appeal and upheld the death sentence, making the judgment final. The sentence, however, was not carried out until approximately a year and a half later, totaling more than four years from murder to execution and leaving a deep mark on the Coptic Orthodox Church and the people of Alexandria.