CAIRO, April 15 (MENA) - The trial of a driver accused of attempting to kidnap Habiba el Shamaa - widely-known as al Shorouk Girl - over charges of abduction proceeded before the Cairo Criminal Court on Monday.

The defendant, Mahmoud Hashem, pleaded not guilty to the charges of kidnap attempt, which subsequently led to the death of Shamaa after she jumped from the moving car, which she ordered via a ride-hailing application.

The court granted permission to a representative of the Public Prosecution to read out the order to refer Hashem to trial over charges of kidnapping, possession of cannabis drug and driving under the influence of drugs.

The defendant denied all accusations.

"The driver attempted to kidnap me," el Shamaa told a witness who rushed to help her after she had fallen from the vehicle and hit a cement barrier, according to the Public Prosecution.

Shamaa sustained critical injuries, including bone fractures, internal bleeding, and brain hemorrhage, and went into coma before she was announced dead last month.

The legal representative of the ride-hailing application, which was used by the accused driver, said that company has previously closed his account due to complaints by several users, yet he managed to set up a new one using a different ID. (MENA)

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