FOUR Egyptian security officials should stand trial for the kidnap, torture and murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni, a Rome judge ruled on Tuesday.

The decision came after a four-year long investigation by prosecutors. The judge found there is sufficient evidence to charge General Tarqi Sabir, Colonel Usham Helmi, Colonel Athar Kamal Mohammad Ibrahim and Major Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif for aggravated kidnapping.

Maj Sharif is also accused of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder. 

The Cambridge University postgraduate student went missing in Cairo in January 2016 while he was researching independent trade unions.

His badly disfigured body was found in a ditch on February 3 2016. Mr Regeni had been beaten so badly that his mother did not recognise him.

Egyptian officials initially denied holding the postgraduate student and claimed his death was linked to criminal gangs.

An Italian post-mortem examination found that he had been subjected to extensive torture, including from kicks, punches, cuts and burns from red-hot objects including cigarettes.

Egyptian authorities eventually admitted monitoring Mr Regeni after witnesses said they had seen him at a Cairo police station, but denied involvement in his killing.

In December an Egyptian judge ruled that there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against the security officials, but further witnesses came forward and spoke to Italian prosecutors, who added their testimony to the case file.

They included a friend of trade union leader Mohammad Abdallah, whom Mr Regeni had interviewed as part of his research. The witness explained that Mr Abdallah told him that he had overheard security officials discussing the student’s death — and how his body should be maimed to make the killing look like a robbery.

The trial will begin on October 14. It is not expected that the security officials will attend.