Egyptian man may face death penalty

An Egyptian hotel employee was detained after he admitted to attacking a female Russian tourist who was seriously injured as a result, the director of the tour operator has said. The Russian was admitted to hospital with multiple bruises and burns after the overnight attack by the 18-year-old man at a hotel in the Red Sea resort city of Hurghada on August 26. Hurghada is a popular destination for Russian tourists. The man, a resident of a southern Egyptian village who came to the resort city for summer earnings, admitted that he had attacked the Russian during Saturday's questioning of hotel staff by police, a source close to the investigation said. According to investigators, after attacking and beating the woman, the self-confessed attacker pulled her into the bathroom and was pouring hot water on her. The motivation of the attacker remains unknown. The woman, who identified the suspect when she was shown his photo, said he had also sexually assaulted her. But she has refused to conduct a DNA test, probably for fear of publicity, which is likely to prevent the court from charging the man with rape, the tourist company head said. In line with Egyptian laws, if found guilty, the man will face a punishment ranging between a prison term of at least five years and the death penalty.