EXCLUSIVE: Missing officer al-Haies’ family speaks to Egypt Today

CAIRO – 1 November 2017: In a house that has not seen peace until his return, the family of Mohamed Al-Haies, the missing officer from the Giza-Wahat attack, received a huge reception everywhere; congratulating them on the return of their lost son.

“The beginning for us was a shock. First announcing his death, then the absence of his body; God knows that I would be proud if my son was to give his life up for our country.

He’s no less than the martyrs that sacrificed their lives for the sake of the country. We were preparing for a funeral, but we were surprised when they couldn’t find his body anywhere among the martyrs or the injured,” Alaa Al-Haies, the officer’s father, said in private remarks to Egypt Today.

“I was in continuous contact with the ministry's leaders just so I could get one piece of information, and they kept assuring me that there will hopefully be good news; that we would be informed immediately once they obtain any information. Besides, the ministry was exerting every effort to reach him, whether martyred or alive," the officer’s father elaborated.

Al-Haies’s father learnt that his son was found when he received a phone call from a leader who told him that they found Mohamed. “My question was whether he was alive.

He confirmed after a few seconds that he was. Honestly I was not sure until I saw him at the hospital and he said, ‘Dad.’ He told me that he wasn’t afraid to die, but was afraid of not seeing me and his mom again, and that he wished to see us one more time. He kept crying a lot and I assured him that we are waiting for him to return to us,” the man explained.

A-Haies remarked that there is a great deal of interest in his son’s case from the state and its political leaders. “My son had a surgical operation on his hand and doctors will determine what he needs in the next few hours. He will stay in the intensive care unit for a while, but he's fully conscious of everyone around him.

I assure you the state did everything possible for one of its children, and I thank President Sisi and all state leaders, and Al Galaa military hospital.”

He also affirmed that the president told him that the state would provide everything necessary for his son’s return to work and that the whole country is supporting him.
Yasmeen Ahmed, Al-Haies’s wife, said in a special statement to Egypt Today that they never lost hope of his return.

“We were praying day and night for his return. His father was the first to receive news of his return and when he told us we were crying out of joy and we were waiting to see him. I talked to him once since he’s been back. He is currently in the intensive care unit and he is not talking but we thank God for his return. We were in a nightmare, but thankfully it ended,” she explained.

A medical source who refused to be named disclosed to Egypt Today that his condition is currently under observation by an integrated medical team. He had an operation, and full medical examinations were conducted on him.

Al-Haies suffers from crushed bones in one of his legs and will need a long period of treatment. He suffers from a large fracture in his other leg and there is a full medical team following his condition around the clock.