Lobna Yakout, the ex-wife of a convicted serial killer from Egypt, opens up about the abuse she suffered during her marriage and the trauma of discovering the horrific crimes her ex-husband committed. Karim Selim, convicted in August of murdering and torturing several women, has been dubbed by local media as “Cairo’s new serial killer.”
He was arrested for his horrific actions, which included the sexual abuse and murder of three women between November 2023 and May 2024. Yakout, 33, has lived in the UK since 2022 after fleeing Cairo, where he had lived. with Karim and his son. Zayn.
The couple married in 2014 and Yakout left Karim in 2020 after years of enduring physical and emotional abuse. She claims that he “almost killed me many times,” but Egyptian law, which at the time did not criminalize domestic violence, prevented her from pressing charges.
talking to peopleAfter splitting from Karim in 2020, Yakout moved with Zayn to a new house in Cairo, but Karim’s threats continued. In 2021, after what was supposed to be a brief visit between Zayn and his father, Yakout claims that his son was not returned to him. She hasn’t seen him since.
Recalling their final conversation, Yakout says, “I told him, ‘If they take you away, find me.’ “That’s the last thing I told him.” Despite her best efforts, Yakout was forced to flee Cairo in 2022 after Karim threatened her again, including waiting outside her residence with a knife for four days.
Disguised, she escaped to the United Kingdom but her journey did not end there. In May 2024, Yakout received a call from Egyptian investigators informing him that Karim had been arrested for the murder of three women. At first she didn’t believe it.
“I thought he organized it because he just wanted to meet me,” he says. But he soon found out about his crimes through the media. “My mother and I were moved,” Yakout recalls. “It was crazy.” Now, Yakout’s search for his son continues.
She believes Zayn was handed over to Karim’s mother after his arrest, but authorities have not helped her locate him. “I haven’t received any help from the authorities,” says Yakout. Desperate, she launched a GoFundMe and videos posted on TikTok to create awareness.
Despite the ongoing search, Yakout remains hopeful. She plans to take Zayn to the beach once they get together, saying, “That’s our thing, we love the beach.” Reflecting on a cherished memory, she remembers Zayn asking for balloons before their last outing together.
“It was all his idea,” he says with a smile. “He loves making friends and he loves being social.” Yakout’s fight to find her son and recover from her past continues, as she remains determined to reunite with Zayn after more than three years of separation.