Egyptians claim Diana assassinated

Yomna Kamel Special to the Middle East Times

Shocked by the sudden death of Diana and Egyptian millionaire Emad (Dodi) Al Fayed, many Egyptians have expressed their deep sorrow and some a suspicion that the happy couple were assassinated by the British Intelligence Service.

In his daily column in the semi-official Al Ahram, Anis Mansour accused James Bond's employer of murdering the princess of Wales and her boyfriend Dodi, the son of the Egyptian billionaire Mohammed Al Fayed. "British intelligence is behind the assassination of Diana and Dodi because their love affair was a shock for the British royal family, the media and public opinion in the UK," wrote Mansour.

Although the royal family overlooked Diana's previous scandals, it was not easy for them this time to forgive her love and possible marriage to an Arab Muslim man, Mansour reasoned.

"What if Diana got married to Dodi, a Muslim Arab-Egyptian man?" he asked. "What if they had a child [named] Mohammed or Fatma, the coming kings of Britain would have an Arab Muslim brother or sister," he wrote.

"Of course, it was extremely difficult for the royal family to accept such a possibility. Thus, the only solution was to get rid of the couple," Mansour added.

As Egyptians believed that Marilyn Monroe was assassinated in her prime by the American CIA, they believe Diana, 36, was assassinated by the British Intelligence for political reasons.

"In order to get rid of Diana's scandal, the British forces had planned to trap her along with Dodi Al Fayed in a staged car accident to make it seem like an accidental death, not a planned assassination," Mansour pointed out.

Another Egyptian columnist, Mohammed Mustafa Sherdi, wondered in his editorial in the opposition Al Wafd why the French are carrying out intensive criminal investigations if Diana simply died in a car accident.

"I cannot accuse anyone right now of assassinating Diana and Dodi, but there are several questions in people's minds that need to be answered and there are also rumors that the accident was planned by someone who had an interest in killing Diana and Dodi and in putting an end to their relation," Sherdi wrote.

The weekly independent Al Isboa accused the British intelligence and on the front page proposed to disclose details of the Dodi and Diana "assassination." According to the paper, the royal family had been unsatisfied with the new love affair.

Al Isboa claims that sources in France said directions were given to the British Intelligence to put an end to the Diana-Dodi story at any price. The source reportedly added that the situation became urgent after British public opinion soured toward Egyptian Dodi.

Many Egyptians have expressed their support of the columnists' theories.

Meanwhile, Mahmoud Al Kassas, a journalist in Al Ahram Al Iktisadi (Economic Ahram), thinks the accident was suspicious. "I feel it was not a usual accident, but an assassination because of its conditions, place and timing. While some claimed the car was chased by a number of photojournalists on motorcycles wanting to catch photos of the princess and her friends, many people here in Egypt do not believe it since proper photos cannot be taken from speeding motorcycles. I also heard the car had tinted windows so that no photos could be taken," Kassas said.

Mohammed Al Khouli, a Cairo University student, said most Egyptians feel the car accident was plotted by the British royal family who had seemed to be upset because of the expected marriage of Diana and Dodi.

"They were not able to accept Diana's marriage to an Arab Muslim man, which might result in Arab Muslim brothers or sisters of the coming kings of the UK," Al Khouli said.

"I do not think Diana and Dodi died in a usual car accident, but there is something ambiguous and suspicious we do not know. Personally, I think the British Intelligence, directed by the Royal Palace, planned the accident," said Maha Taher, a journalist in the weekly Arabic Akhbar Al Youm.