The family of Mohamed Lotfy, the explosives expert who died while defusing a bomb placed near the Ettehadiya presidential palace on Monday, say they are not only grieving his death but also the fact the Interior Minister has not honored his service.
“My husband sacrificed himself for the country,” says his wife Noha, adding that the ministry did not inform her of his death. “And they did not hold a military funeral in his honor.”
She said she was following the course of events on television, knowing that her husband was on duty there. “Suddenly I heard the explosion that killed his colleague Ahmed al-Ashmawy and ran to call my husband.”
“Then they reported on television that he died,” she said. “But the ministry did not confirm it and left us confused.”
She went to the Nasr City Police Hospital where they denied completely that her husband died though the autopsy was being conducted on his body inside.
“When I insisted to know, they told me he was slightly injured,” she said. “Hours later I knews he died but they forbade me to see him.”
“The ministry officials told my father a military funeral is a security hassle,” she said.
“I always knew he would die on duty one day because he is dedicated to his work,” she said. “He was deeply moved whenever a colleague of his died on duty.”
She called on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to meet his promise and punish those who kill citizens. “I would like to meet him personally and ask him to do so,” she said.
She said the ministry has not ordered an exceptional pension for her as in other similar cases where officers have fallen in the line of duty.
His sons said their father meant everything in the world for them and kept crying. They posted the video of the blast on the Internet with a caption saying: Did he deserve this fate?
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
