Egypt’s Attorney General Nabil Sadeq yesterday ordered an investigation into the death of Egyptian citizen Sherif Adel Habib who died in Britain on the 25th of April. He also commissioned the Department of International Cooperation to prepare memoranda to be sent from Egypt to the judicial authorities in England in order to obtain an official copy of the investigation and the forensic reports.

Meanwhile, Scotland Yard revealed that four people have been arrested in relation to the investigation, and that one of them is 22 years old. The 22 year old was released on bail and is due to appear before investigating officers in mid-June. Scotland Yard said in a telephone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that the other three people who were arrested are 30, 35 and 40 years old. The police confirmed that the four individuals were arrested on suspicion of arson at Habib’s residence. A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard refused to reveal the nationalities of those detained.

A statement made by British police which Asharq Al-Awsat obtained a copy of yesterday said that forensic reports have confirmed that the victim’s death was caused by severe burns after a residential property in Cranleigh Gardens, Southall was set on fire at 12:55am on Monday. The victim was transferred to a specialist hospital for the treatment of burns after an ambulance and fire engine attended the scene but was later pronounced dead.

The Scotland Yard statement continues by saying that “officers, fire engines and an ambulance attended the scene. A 21-year-old man was rescued by the London Fire Brigade from a property in London. He was transferred to a specialist burns hospital in Essex where he passed away. His relatives were notified.”