Egyptian officials have announced that they have found the body of a 28-year-old Italian PhD student, who disappeared while travelling in Cairo last month. Giulio Regeni had been missing since 25th January, after leaving his residence in the Duqqi district of Giza to go and meet a friend.

His body was found on Cairo-Alexandria Road, in the suburb of 6 October City, on the outskirts of Cairo. Egyptian media have speculated that it may have been a robbery which turned violent.

The state-run newspaper al-Ahram said that his body "showed signs of torture".

Sources in Cairo told the Associated Press that his body had been partially burned.

The Italian foreign ministry urged Egyptian authorities to launch a full investigation, and said that his disappearance probably had a "tragic epilogue." Italian forensics teams are expected to fly to Cairo to assist the Egyptian authorities.

Regeni was a member of Girton College, and had had been based at POLIS, the University of Cambridge’s Department of Politics and International studies. Friends and family had organised a #whereisguilio campaign to locate Regeni.