Ramadan Mansour

Case record

Ramadan Abdel Rehim Mansour (born circa 1980, in Tanta, Gharbia, Egypt), also known as " al-Tourbini ", was a street gang leader and serial killer who raped and murdered at least 30 children in the course of seven years. His killings involved several locations in Egypt including Cairo, Alexandria, Qalyoubeya and Beni Sueif. All of his victims were 10 to 14 years old, most of them boys.

Background

Mansour left his home in Tanta and joined a street gang at an early age. Gang leaders taught him skills of survival, allegedly cutting him with razors when he made any mistakes.

According to his confession, Mansour learned how to get back at those who crossed him by raping them, and he murdered anyone who threatened to go to the police afterwards.

The offence

Mansour and his gang members lured street children onto the carriage roof of trains. They raped and tortured the children and tossed them onto the trackside, dead or barely alive. Some of the children were dumped into the Nile, or buried alive.

One victim was 12-year-old boy Ahmed Nagui, who had been a member of Mansour's gang. When Mansour tried to sexually assault Nagui, Nagui reported to the police and Mansour was arrested but was released for lack of evidence. Soon after, Mansour raped and murdered Nagui in retaliation, according to the prosecutors.

Mansour acquired the nickname "al-Tourbini" meaning "Express Train", from his favorite location for sadistic crimes.

Investigation

The Vice Department of Borg El-Arab police station in Alexandria started keeping a profile on Mansour during the period when he frequently traveled between Cairo and Alexandria by train.

Mansour's crimes came to light in 2006 when two of his gang members were arrested. After the arrest, Mansour reportedly told prosecutors that he was possessed by a female jinn who commanded him to commit the crimes.

Arrest

Mansour was arrested in 2006 along with six accomplices.

Mansour, along with his accomplice Farag Samir Mahmoud, also known as "Hanata", was convicted and sentenced to death by the criminal court in Tanta in 2007.

Trial

A court sentenced to death two gang leaders who had confessed to the murder and rape of 20 street children. The leaders were:

• Ramadan Abdel Rehim Mansour, known as Al-Tourbini (27)
• Farag Samir Mahmoud, known as Hanata (25)

They were convicted and sentenced by the criminal court in Tanta, 90km north of Cairo. Mansour and Hanata were also found guilty of illegal possession of weapons.

In accordance with Egyptian law, the judge referred the verdict to Egypt's grand Mufti for his opinion, which was advisory. It was described as a legal procedure before a sentence became final.

Sentencing

Mansour was sentenced to death on May 23, 2007.

Outcome

Mansour and his accomplice Farag Samir Mahmoud were sentenced to death by the criminal court in Tanta.

Aftermath

Soon after the arrest, al-Ahram, a widely-circulated Egyptian newspaper, reported that some products in Egypt were being named after Mansour's nickname, "al-Tourbini".

Several restaurants in Mansour's hometown, Tanta, started selling so-called "al-Tourbini sandwich", allegedly in demand by young locals.

Sheep merchants gave the name "al-Tourbini" to the big-size lamb priced at more than 2,000 Egyptian pound.

Some tuk-tuk drivers named their vehicles "al-Tourbini" to attract customers.

According to al-Ahram, owners of supermarkets and communications centers in Tanta were renaming their businesses "al-Tourbini: The Butcher of Gharbia".

Author and journalist John R. Bradley commented in his book Inside Egypt: The Land of the Pharaohs on the Brink of a Revolution that:

"this reaction borders on the incomprehensible, but what it clearly indicates is that something has gone terribly wrong with contemporary Egyptian society."

Other details

The case summary referenced an additional report that stated: "The Taipei Times May 25, 2007" and described a court sentencing on Wednesday.