Egypt will not abandon justice for an Egyptian student who died Wednesday of injuries sustained in an attack by a group of girls outside a shopping mall in the UK last month, Immigration and Expatriates Minister Nabila Makram said in a statement on Saturday.

Makram said she is following the investigation into the death of Mariam Moustafa, an 18-year-old Egyptian Central College student who was attacked by a group of girls on 20 February outside Nottingham's Intu Victoria Shopping Centre.

'The minister stressed she is following the case closely with Egypt’s envoy in the UK Nasser Kamal, and has mandated her deputy for Egyptian communities abroad Samir Taha with following up on the incident with the Egyptian Embassy in London.

According to Makram, Taha is currently in London to follow up on the investigation.

The statement added that the Egyptian minister has contacted Mariam’s father to pursue legal action against the hospital where Mariam had been admitted if medical negligence took place.

Makram called for Mariam’s killers to be held accountable for their “heinous crime,” asserting that the country will not abandon justice for the teenager.

The minister said Mariam’s family has asked that the girl’s body be sent home, adding that the Egyptian embassy has finalised all procedures related to their request, but is waiting for a British judicial decision to release the body following the completion of investigations.

Makram's statements come one day after footage surfaced online showing the moments before the attack, where one of the alleged attackers can be heard saying "she needs to be beaten up."

“I want justice for my daughter, not just for my daughter, but also so this does not happen to another girl or another boy. My daughter was like an angel,” Mariam’s father, Mohamed Moustafa told the British Daily Mail newspaper.

Mariam's 16-year-old sister Malak has said that her sister was attacked by the same group last August because she was “staring at them.”

Nottinghamshire Police said they were “keeping an open mind” on whether the attack may have been due to a case of mistaken identity.

Mariam's death has sparked anger at home, with Egyptian MPs denouncing investigations by the British police and alleging medical negligence that led to her death. 

On Friday, the British Embassy in Cairo expressed “sadness and shock” over the incident, adding that Nottingham Police were committed to bringing those responsible to justice through a meticulous enquiry.