‘I love my job!’ Egypt’s official executioner on how much he enjoys his work... and started off by drowning cats as a child

Hajj Abd Al-Nabi tells of his satisfaction at 'carrying out the work of Allah'

He has hanged 800 people convicted of crimes from adultery to murder

But the original provenance and authenticity of the video is unclear



Translation is by controversial group previously accused of anti-Arab bias

A man claiming to be Egypt's official executioner has spoken of how much he loves his job in a sinister interview.

Hajj Abd Al-Nabi, who claims he has hanged some 800 people convicted of crimes ranging from adultery to murder, said: 'In all honesty, I love my work. I just love it!

'I never say "no" when they need me at work. This is my work and my livelihood.'



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'People love me': A clip from the video which is purportedly an interview with Egypt's chief executioner

But Mr Al-Nabi's exuberant commentary on his macabre profession takes an even more chilling turn as he explains how strangulation had been his 'hobby' since he was a teenage boy.

'When I was young – about 13 or 14 years old – the dry Ismailiya Canal in Shubra Al-Kheima still had water in it,' he reminisces.

'My hobby was to catch a cat, to place a rope around its neck, to strangle it, and throw it into the water. I would get hold of any animal – even dogs.

'I would strangle these animals and throw them into the water – even dogs.'

He adds: 'Strangulation was my hobby. When I applied for the job and did well on the tests – proving that I could take the psychological pressure and so on – they said: "Congratulations. Now, grow a moustache".

'The truth is that my heart is dead, because executing comes from the heart, not the moustache. Only if you have a heart of stone can you be content in this line of work.'

The original provenance of the video, and its authenticity, is unclear. It was translated and reposted last week by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which says it originally emerged online in early September.

Certainly, while elements of the interview seem satirical, other statements by Mr Al-Nabi appear to be deadly serious.

'I am the executioner of the Arab Republic of Egypt. I hold the rank of chief warrant officer in the police and the prison authority,' he says.

'I am Egypt's executioner, responsible for carrying out the death penalty.'

Dedicated: Hajj Abd Al-Nabi, who claims he has hanged some 800 people convicted of crimes ranging from adultery to murder, speaks in the video, which is translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute

Chilling: But the original provenance of the video, and its authenticity, is unclear. MEMRI have previously been accused of mistranslating and disseminating video to back up an anti-Arab agenda

Despite claiming responsibility for the deaths of hundreds, it appears he believes all were justified as 'carrying out the work of Allah'.

'When it comes to carrying out my job, I am tough. The murderer has done an abominable thing, and I cannot be soft with him,' says Mr Al-Nabi.

'If I were soft towards this criminal, I wouldn't be able to execute him, but when I'm at home, with my kids, I am as calm as can be.'

He goes on: 'I have placed [the noose] around some 800 heads – tough people, big people, young people... All the despicable crimes – killing, adultery, premeditated murder, and so on... I carry out all the death sentences.'

Family man: The man in the video admits he has been obsessed with death since he was a teenager

MEMRI, the organisation which has translated and spread the clip, has often been accused of attempting to portray the Arab world in a negative light.

Founded in 1998 by a former Israeli military intelligence officer and an Israeli-American political scientists, MEMRI claims its goal is to 'bridge the language gap that exists between the Middle East and the West'.

However, critics have accused the group of producing and disseminating inaccurate translations and selectively translating views of extremists while down playing or ignoring mainstream Arab opinions.

MEMRI defended its work. In a statement, the institute’s director, Stephen Stalinsky, said: ‘MEMRI’s flagship is our Reform Project. This project monitors advocates of reform in the Arab and Muslim world, and the obstacles that they face in advancing their cause.



'The goal of this project is to provide reformists with a platform from which they can reach out to their societies and to religious, political, and educational leaders while also providing Western policy makers with a solid basis for long-term strategic plans aimed at supporting this effort.



'MEMRI focused on this issue a decade before anyone even comprehended the Arab Spring.'



Mr Stalinsky added: ‘Note that many Middle Eastern states have official executioners, including Saudi Arabia which employs one in Mecca, the holiest Muslim city.

