Egypt probes shooting of Israeli-Canadian man

Image source, AFP

Image caption, The man was fatally shot in the Egyptian city of Alexandria (file image)
  • Author, Kathryn Armstrong
  • Role, 大象传媒 News

A criminal investigation has been launched by authorities in Egypt following the fatal shooting of an Israeli-Canadian businessman.

The incident happened in the northern coastal city of Alexandria on Tuesday.

The victim has been named by Israeli and Arabic media as Ziv Kipper - the head of an Egyptian food exporter.

A previously unknown group has said it was behind the shooting.

It has called itself the Vanguards of Liberation - the Martyr Mohammad Salah group - an apparent reference to an Egyptian police officer who was killed after shooting dead three Israeli soldiers last year.

In a statement, the group described Mr Kipper as an Israeli agent and said his killing was in retaliation for what it called massacres in Gaza and Israel's seizure of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, which also happened on Tuesday.

A security source told Reuters they had no information about the existence of such a group and whether it had been involved in Tuesday's attack.

Neither Israel nor Egypt have yet officially named the man who was killed.

However, the Israeli foreign ministry confirmed that the victim was a businessman with dual Canadian-Israeli citizenship.

It added that the Israeli embassy in Cairo was in contact with the Egyptian authorities.

Egypt's interior ministry, meanwhile, said in a statement that the man had been "residing permanently" in the country.

"Legal action has been taken," it said, without providing further details.

James Emmanuel Wanki, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada - the government's diplomatic department - said they were aware of the death of a Canadian citizen in Egypt and "express our deepest condolences to the family".

"Consular officials are in contact with local authorities and available to provide consular assistance to the family," he said.

"Due to privacy regulations, no additional information can be disclosed."

Mr Kipper is listed online as the CEO of OK Group, which was founded in 2008 and exports frozen fruits and vegetables. Its headquarters is in Alexandria.