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The Fifth Settlement Killer
This page exists for one purpose: to give you the source for every piece of information used to build this episode. The story is told in a narrative style, but every event, name, and date in it is based on a source listed below — you can verify it yourself.
Case Summary
Karim Mohamed Selim, a 37-year-old English teacher living in the Fifth Settlement district of New Cairo, lured 3 women to his apartment between November 2023 and May 2024, forced them to use the drug "ice," and killed them inside a room he had soundproofed for this purpose, documenting his crimes in hundreds of video clips. The case was exposed when one victim's body was found on a desert road in Port Said, and investigations led to his identity by tracing surveillance footage. He was sentenced to death, and the Court of Cassation upheld the sentence as final in 2026.
November 15, 2023
The first victim, "Nora," enters the defendant's apartment in the Fifth Settlement, and he kills her after drugging her.
April 8, 2024
The second victim, "Rahma," meets the same fate inside the same apartment.
May 15, 2024
The third victim, "Amira," is killed, and the defendant disposes of her body near the 30 June corridor in Port Said.
May 16, 2024
The Public Prosecution receives notice of an unidentified body found, and begins fingerprinting and forensic analysis to determine her identity.
November 2024
The defendant is arrested, and detailed confessions expose the three crimes and hundreds of video clips documenting them.
December 2024
Trial sessions begin before the Cairo Criminal Court, and the case file is referred to Egypt's Grand Mufti.
March 2026
The Court of Cassation finally rejects the appeal, and the death sentence becomes final.
Final Court Ruling
Asharq Al-Awsat
Coverage of the Cairo Court of Appeals upholding the death sentence against Karim Mohamed Selim on charges of murdering 3 women.
aawsat.com
Why this source: Establishes the official judicial outcome of the case from a major Arab news institution removed from sensationalism.
Press Coverage
Youm7
Detailed coverage of the circumstances of the defendant's arrest, and the course of his trial up to the final rejection of the appeal by the Court of Cassation.
youm7.com
Why this source: Used for details of the investigation's course — from the discovery of the body to identifying the killer via fingerprints.
Extended Press Coverage
El Watan News
Direct documentation of the trial session proceedings, including the defendant's statements and the Public Prosecution's responses.
elwatannews.com
Why this source: Used for precise details of the actual court sessions and the dialogue between the judge and the defendant.
Case Background
Al Arabiya
Coverage of the case's background and public reaction, and details of how the victims were lured.
alarabiya.net
Why this source: Used to carefully verify the sensitive details of the crime, and ensure contextual accuracy before presenting it in the episode.