MENA House: Ashraf Marwan Update --- "No Evidence for Suicide"

A follow-up to our coverage this week of the life and death of Egyptian industrialist and President advisor Ashraf Marwan (Israeli spy? Egyptian double agent? Suicide? Or Murder Victim?)....

An inquest in Britain has returned an open verdict on Marwan's death.

More than three years after the industrialist supposedly fell or jumped from a London balcony, Dr William Dolman, the assistant deputy coroner for Westminster, said there was no evidence that Dr Marwan committed suicide.

MENA House: Was Egyptian Billionaire Marwan (Suicide? Murdered?) an Israeli Spy?

The initial report claimed that the cause of Marwan's death was suicide.  However, Mona Abdel Nasser, Marwan's wife and daughter of the late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, claimed this was not possible and her husband was assassinated.

Dr Dolman added in his judgement, "There is no evidence of mental or psychiatric disorder...[and] no evidence of any intention to commit suicide."

Assassination?

Speaking on Egyptian television,  Dr Essam Abdel Samad, head of the Egyptians Union in Europe, pointed out that Mona Abdel Nasser had accused Scotland Yard of negligence in their handling of the case.  Samad supposed Nasser's claim that it was  illogical that Marwan would commit suicide. He added, "There were no finger prints or hair fibres at Marwan's fourth floor flat in London.  The crime scene was too clean to suggest a murder.  If suicide is not a possibility, then that leaves them with what is becoming a more probable cause of death: A 'professional' assassination."

The open verdict in London may produce more questions than answers.  If indeed an assassination took place, who would have done it? Mona Abdel Nasser is convinced it was Israel's intelligence service Mossad.  But why would they kill Marwan more than 30 years after he allegedly co-operated with them? Did Marwan hold confidential and sensitive information about Mossad or any other intelligence agency?

MENA House: Was Egyptian Billionaire Marwan (Suicide? Murdered?) an Israeli Spy?

On 27 June 2007, Ashraf Marwan --- leading industrialist, aide to one Egyptian President, married to the daughter of another --- died, allegedly in a fall from a balcony.

The initial coroner's report stated that Marwan had jumped and committed suicide. However, Mona Abdel Nasser, Marwan’s wife and the daughter of former President Gamal Abdel Nasser, alleged that her husband was killed by Mossad, the Israeli secret service. Nine days before his death, Marawan supposedly told his wife that he felt he was being watched by Mossad agents and could be assassinated at any moment.

Mona Abdel Nasser also claimed that Marawan could not have thrown himself off the balcony, since he suffered from joint problems and struggled in walking, let alone climbing. In addition, Marawan’s shoes were not found at the crime scene, even though he supposedly always wore special support footwear for his condition.

Was Marwan murdered?  If so, why and by whom?

To consider this, let's take a look at the man.

Ashraf Marwan came from a financially stable family, a parallel to the aristocrats of Egypt prior to the 1952 revolution.  His father was one of the highes- ranking officers in the Egyptian military.  Later Ashraf Marawan served as the chief of staff and personal secretary to 'the Pharaoh' President, Anwar Sadat, and married the daughter of former President Gamal Abdel Nasser.

A trusted patriot and a leading industrialist could not betray his motherland. Or could he? 

Allegations of Marwan's allegiance surfaced in September of 2002.  A London-based Israeli historian, Ahron Bregman, published a book claiming that Marwan was Israel's "master spy" in Cairo.

The next year Howard Blum, citing the head of Israeli military intelligence during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, General Eli Zeira, claimed that Marwan had communicated with the Israelis since a meeting in London in 1969.  The Israeli intelligence service, Mossad,would pay Marwan £50,000 each visit. Marwan often met directly with Zvi Zamir, the head of Mossad, and Marwan's conversations were taped and transcribed for the Israeli Prime Minister.

Was Ashraf Marwan an Israeli spy?  Discussing the matter on Al Taba'a il Oola (The FirstPrint), Ahmed el Meslemani argued that the suggestion was ludicrous, pointing to Marwan's financial stability and patriotic background. The Egyptian intelligence services also were far from completely oblivious to Marwan's movements. Even President Hosni Mubarak had openly stated that Marwan was a patriot and trustworthy.

Still, El Meslemani's response runs up against the widespread theme in Egyptian television soap operas and films, based on true stories, that Mossad "sometimes" recruited Egyptian spies: During tsummer school holidays, Egyptian students would travel to Europe to work, earn some money, and gain some experience. During this time that Mossad would target the students and lure them into liaising with them.

Yet those same TV programmes and films, from the famous Abla Kamil'to soaps "Ra'afat il Hagan" and "Harb il Gawasees" (The War Between Secret Agents), put up an alternative story. In some cases, the Egyptian Intelligence services would be aware of the Israeli manoeuvres and use the students as double agents. Encouraging the students to gain the trust of Mossad, Egyptian intelligence would give the students supposedly vital information on topics such as military activity to pass to Mossad, tracking and sometimes deceiving the Israelis.

So Ashraf Marwan, a suicide or murder victim? An Israeli spy or Egyptian double agent?