Egyptian escort
held for dismemberment of nonpaying john

Police in Cairo have detained a man they say chopped up a German drama teacher and dumped his body parts in a suitcase because the victim refused to pay the agreed sum for sex, Agence France-Presse reported.

Mustapha Maher, a pharmaceutical company employee, allegedly confessed to killing the man, who taught at a German school in Cairo, after the bloody suitcase was found on a rocky plateau overlooking the city.

Police were able to identify both victim and suspect because the dead man's cell phone had been packed into the case along with the dismembered body. Authorities did not disclose the victim's name.

Homosexuality is illegal in Egypt, but a gay scene exists there despite police roundups of gay partygoers, and the country's dependence on tourist dollars means that foreigners, according to GayEgypt.com, are rarely targeted by the law.

Maher was detained December 27, soon after the grisly discovery. He was ordered held for 45 days pending an investigation, a judicial source told AFP. (The Advocate)