3 arrested after Egyptian’s death in London arson

Mikhail’s body was found badly burnt inside a car that had been set ablaze in a garage in Southall, London, early Monday. (Scoial media)

By Shounaz Meky Al Arabiya English Thursday, 28 April 2016

Police in London have made three further arrests in connection with the ‘mysterious’ death of Egyptian student Sherif Adel Habib Mikhail earlier this week.

In a statement issued by the Metropolitan Police it was confirmed on Thursday that the men - aged 30, 35 and 40 years-old - were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson.

These arrests brought the total to four - a man in his 20s was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.

Police said that a post mortem examination which took place on Wednesday gave the initial cause of Mikhail’s death “as severe burns.”

The statement said that Mikhail’s death was still being treated as “unexplained”.

When pressed by Al Arabiya English for further information, a London Metropolitan Police spokesperson refused to comment on whether the investigation would become a murder inquiry.

Mikhail’s body was found badly burnt inside a car that had been set ablaze in a garage in Southall, London, early Monday.

He had recently graduated with a mechanical engineering degree at London’s Greenwich University, and held dual British and Egyptian citizenship.

News of Mikhail’s death was described as shocking by his family, who insisted he had no political affiliations, as speculation over the cause of his death continued to mount.

In Egypt his case appeared on the front pages of many of the country’s newspapers on Thursday, after officials including President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi’s office, the foreign ministry, and the ministry for expatriates called for an investigation into the death.

Mikhail, who lived in North Acton, London, had recently completed his degree in mechanical engineering and had hoped to become an army officer at Sandhurst, London’s Evening Standard newspaper reported.

He had a sister who is studying law at a university in London. His father owns a restaurant in London and has lived there for more than 40 years.