Father arrested for killing, dismembering son in Egypt

A father in Egypt has been detained by security forces after killing his 12-year-old son in the Qalyubia governorate on Thursday, according to reports.

The father smashed the child's head against a wall until he succumbed to his injuries, Arabi21 reported.

He then left his son's body on his bed for five days before dismembering it and then burning it inside a bag.

Witnesses say they found the father standing in a dumpster while attempting to light the bag on fire, Egyptian newspaper Al Masry Al Youm reported.

Neighbours say they became suspicious after smelling a strange odour at the residential property. When they approached the man, he claimed to have bought 10 kilograms of meat that had “spoiled”.

Officers say the man confessed to his crime after being interrogated with questions from his neighbours.

The motive for the crime remains unclear. However, other horrific murders in Egypt have made international headlines this year.

In June,  a 30-year-old woman slit the throats of her three children - the youngest a year old - before attempting to take her own life by throwing herself in front of a tractor.

She survived, but sustained critical injuries.

The woman, who likely suffered from postpartum depression, left a handwritten note to her husband, who works in Saudi Arabia, telling him that she had sent the children to paradise and would meet them there.

She said in the note that despite her decent life, she had been left severely depressed after the birth of their third child.