Under the title "Involved with the Deputy of Jinn and Spirits: Details of Hassan Ratib's Arrest," the Arab News website reported that as part of the investigations initiated by Egyptian authorities last week, following the arrest of former deputy Alaa Hassanain for alleged trafficking and excavation of antiquities while leading a criminal gang for stealing and smuggling them, businessman Hassan Ratib was arrested on Monday for allegedly financing the deputy, according to local media.
The information indicated that Ratib's arrest was executed under a decision by the Public Prosecution regarding his financial support to Alaa Hassanain, known as "the Deputy of Jinn and Spirits" in the antiquities excavation operations. Furthermore, the investigations revealed operations involving millions of pounds that Ratib provided to Hassanain's gang and his brother for digging up antiquities. Additionally, it was confirmed that the brother of Alaa Hassanain confessed during the investigation that businessman Hassan Ratib had financially supported excavation operations with millions of pounds to search for antiquities and smuggle them abroad, leading to Ratib's arrest and referral to the relevant authorities.
It is noteworthy that Hassanain is known by the title "Deputy of Jinn and Spirits" due to his previous statements about "supernatural powers" he claims to use to extinguish fires. The prosecution had ordered the renewal of the former deputy's detention along with three others for 15 days pending investigations related to four charges, including leading a criminal organization, through funding excavation operations in various areas across the country, and collecting and trafficking antiquities.
This came after police found 201 antiquities, two wooden tablets with hieroglyphic inscriptions, and 36 statues ranging from 8 cm to 40 cm in height, along with four half-ushabti statues, one marble ushabti statue, a 40 cm tall wooden statue resembling a European figure, and two bronze statues, one of which had a broken head, along with a small bronze statue head and another wooden one, according to government newspapers. The Ministry of Interior also discovered jewelry, gemstones, and antiquities in an apartment in the Zamalek area of Cairo, dubbed by the Egyptian media as the "Ali Baba Cave."
Ratib is a 74-year-old Egyptian businessman with numerous projects.
