The encounter in Alexandria
On June 6, 2010, Khaled Mohammed Said, a 28-year-old Alexandrian, was confronted by two plainclothes officers connected to Sidi Gaber police station. Multiple witnesses later told Human Rights Watch that the officers seized Said at or near an internet cafe and repeatedly assaulted him. Said died during the encounter.
The initial official account was sharply different. Egypt's Interior Ministry said Said had swallowed a packet containing drugs and died from asphyxiation. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International documented witness accounts that challenged that narrative and called for an independent investigation. A second forensic examination still cited asphyxiation, while also acknowledging injuries that could have resulted from beating during the arrest.
Investigation and prosecution
Public pressure led the prosecutor general to reopen the investigation and order further forensic review. The two officers were ultimately put on trial. Amnesty International noted at the time that the case raised broader concerns about witness protection and accountability for police abuse.
The first conviction came in 2011, when the officers received seven-year prison terms. That judgment did not end the case. An appeal led to a retrial, and in March 2014 the officers received harsher sentences of 10 years each.
The final 2015 ruling
On March 4, 2015, Egypt's Court of Cassation rejected the officers' appeals and upheld the 10-year sentences. Ahram Online, citing a judicial source, described the decision as final and no longer subject to appeal. Reuters likewise reported that the two policemen had been finally convicted in connection with Said's death.
The archive therefore classifies the case as Solved / Adjudicated. That classification refers to the completed criminal proceedings against the two officers. It does not erase the documented disagreement between the early official account and the witness testimony that drove demands for a fuller investigation.
Public impact
Said's death quickly became a symbol of anger over police abuse. The Facebook page "We Are All Khaled Said" and street demonstrations helped turn his name into a rallying point in the months before Egypt's January 2011 uprising. This social impact is historically important, but it is separate from the evidence used to determine criminal responsibility.
Crime by Region treats those two dimensions separately: the case influenced public mobilization, while the solved classification rests on the later court judgments against the officers.
Timeline
June 6, 2010: Khaled Said dies in Alexandria after an encounter with two plainclothes police officers.
June 2010: witness accounts, photographs and protests challenge the initial official explanation of his death.
June 15, 2010: the prosecutor general orders the investigation reopened and a further forensic examination.
2011: the two officers are sentenced to seven years in prison.
March 2014: after retrial, each officer receives a 10-year prison sentence.
March 4, 2015: the Court of Cassation upholds the 10-year sentences, making the judgment final.
Current status
The case is Solved / Adjudicated. Two police officers were convicted in connection with Khaled Said's death, and Egypt's Court of Cassation upheld their 10-year prison sentences in March 2015.