Schoolboy cannibal killed and ate classmate to 'try the way' he saw in films

A 13-year-old schoolboy murdered his classmate, sawed his body into pieces and ate them "out of curiosity". The teenager killed his peer, Mohamed A.M, by beating him with a wooden stick before using a power saw to cut him into parts which were small enough to fit in his school rucksack. The killer reportedly lured his classmate to his family's home in Ismailia Governorate, Egypt.

The child cannibal then repeatedly hit the victim on the head with a stick until he died. The suspect, known as Youssef A, said he was reenacting the murder scenes which he saw in films and online games. The killer explained that he wanted to "try the way" he had seen online. Police officers were made aware of the attack after the victim's remains were found near a shopping centre.

After conducting a search, the authorities then found further severed pieces of the victim under a bridge, in a pool and on an open field.

Youssef admitted to killing Mohamed with a wooden stick and using an electric saw to dismember him. He also said he scattered his remains across the city in Egypt.

The suspect added that he ate part of the victim's body "out of curiosity" and explained that it was "similar to breaded chicken".

The child cannibal was forced to re-enact the crime for investigators once he was detained, leading police officers around the city to the places he had disposed of the body parts.

The suspect was transferred to a juvenile care facility after being detained for four days by Public Prosecution. He remained there for a week while judges reviewed his case.

Youssef also underwent a full physical examination, drug testing and forensic analysis to compare samples with Mohamed's.

Investigators continue to look into the violent film and video content which he said influenced him to conduct the gruesome act.

Since the murder of Mohamed, thousands of residents in Egypt prayed for the victim at Al-Matafi Mosque. The victim's body was then laid to rest in the family cemetery in Kassab.

The case has also ignited calls for children to have greater protection from graphic content, with increased supervision from parents.