The body of a missing Italian student has been found partially burned on the outskirts of Cairo.
The remains of Giulio Regeni, 28, had been dumped at the side of the road in the Egyptian capital.
Security officials said his body showed signs of torture.
He had disappeared on January 25th, the five-year anniversary of Egypt's 2011 uprising that led to the end of president Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.
Amr Assad, a friend of Mr Regeni, said he had gone missing after leaving his home to meet another friend in the city.
The Italian embassy had been working closely with the Egyptian authorities to locate Mr Regeni, who was studying Egypt's trade unions in Cairo as part of his doctorate at Cambridge University.
The Egyptian ambassador in Rome has been summoned to the foreign ministry to discuss the death.
A copy of Mr Regeni's CV, provided by another friend, indicated he spoke four languages and had won several scholarships.
#whereisgiulio
His friends had also launched a campaign to raise awareness of his disappearance using the hashtag #whereisgiulio.
Last year, Islamic State militants kidnapped a Croatian man from the outskirts of Cairo and later beheaded him.
However, such incidents are rare and there had also been a heavy police presence in downtown Cairo when Regeni went missing.
Human rights groups say Egyptians are often beaten and detained by police on little evidence.
Scores have disappeared since 2013 when the country was thrown into turmoil by violent clashes between activists and police.
But the Egyptian authorities have denied claims of police brutality.
Although the circumstances surrounding Mr Regeni's death remains unclear, the case threatens to further harm Egyptian efforts to portray an image of stability and attract more tourism and foreign investment after years of violent unrest.
In October last year, a Russian passenger plane crashed in the Sinai Peninsula killing all 224 people on board.
IS militants claimed they had planted a bomb on board although so far Egypt has said it has found no evidence the Metrojet flight was brought down by terrorism.
