Nikos Katsikas, a Greek journalist who for many years worked tirelessly to promote Greece in Egypt and strengthen bilateral relations was murdered, Egyptian authorities said on Tuesday.
Katsikas was found dead on Saturday, according to an announcement by the Greek Foreign Ministry.
His body was found in his house in Cairo with knife wounds. Police arrested a food delivery suspect who apparently knew the victim before the murder, a court source told Al Ahram newspaper, adding that the motive was believed to be robbery.
Born on May 7, 1966, in Piraeus, Katsikas had been working as a correspondent for the Athens Macedonia News Agency (AMNA) in Cairo since September of 2016.
Before that, he had founded the historic newspaper “Fos” in Cairo and become editor-in-chief of the weekly edition “New Fos” in Cairo. He also edited the monthly edition of “Alexandrinos Tahydromos“ and the “Pyramis” website.
He was also vice-president of the Hellenic Cultural Center in Cairo.
Speaking to Greek Reporter recently about the Hellenic Center, founded more than 126 years ago, he said that it is a symbolic center of Hellenism for Egypt. “Every distinguished personality from Greece came and visited the Center. It is located just 200 meters from the famous Tahrir Square the very center of all Egypt.”
The Hellenic Center of Cairo hailed Katsikas’ contribution to Hellenism in Egypt.
Katsikas “connected Greeks of Egypt with the motherland”
In an announcement, it said: “He was creative and consistent, conscientious and visionary, as he devoted most of his life to the revival of the Hellenic press in Egypt. He passionately served to connect, through information, the Greeks of Egypt with his motherland.
“For the Alexandrians, Nikos Katsikas was much more than what is mentioned in his rich biography. He was a loyal friend and a sincere companion, modest and always smiling. He was an “adopted Alexandrian” loved by all and respected by all; he was one of us,” the announcement said.
The story of Hellenism in Alexandria, Egypt’s second-largest city, goes back more than two millennia and is marked by Alexander the Great’s placement of the first stone as part of the city’s first street in 331 BC.
Katsikas was a graduate of the Byzantine Music School and a member of the Association of Editors of Daily Newspapers of Athens (ESHEA).
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