US embassy in Cairo (Photo: guardian.co.uk)
The man who stabbed an American in Cairo on Thursday says he was motivated by a hatred of the United States.
Mahmoud Badr, 30, who holds a bachelor's degree in commerce, was arrested on Thursday after stabbing American academic Chris Stone in the neck outside the US embassy in Cairo.
Badr told interrogators that he took his mother's knife, travelled to Cairo by train from Kafr El-Sheikh, and went to the US embassy in search of an American citizen to kill, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported on Friday.
Badr attempted to enter the embassy by pretending to be seeking a visa.
Stone, an associate professor of Arabic and head of the Arabic Programme at City University in New York, was going to the embassy to finish some paperwork for his wife.
Badr told interrogators that he asked Stone his nationality then stabbed him in the neck when he said he was American.
He said his motive was anger against the United States.
Prosecutors have ordered Badr's detention pending investigations into charges of attempted murder.
According to Al-Ahram Arabic new website, the knife was successfully removed from Stone’s neck during an operation.
Chris Stone was recently appointed head of the US-based Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) by the American University in Cairo (AUC).
He has been praised for his pro-Palestine views and his interest in Arab culture.
Short link: