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Egypt presidential candidate wounded in apparent robbery

24 February 2012 03:59 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A prominent Egyptian presidential candidate was wounded in an apparent carjacking late Thursday in Cairo, his campaign manager and police said, underscoring an increase in crime a year after a country wide uprising, APA reports quoting AFP.

The Islamist Abdelmoneim Abul Fotouh suffered a concussion after three men armed with rifles assaulted him on Cairo’s ring road and stole his car, his campaign manager Ali al-Bahnasawy told reporters.

His campaign said in a statement that Abul Fotouh was wounded by blows to the head with a rifle butt as he tried to defend his driver. The driver was also wounded, a police official said without detailing his injuries.

Abul Fotouh was returning from a campaign event north of the capital when the apparent robbery happened.

Abul Fotouh, a former senior member of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood movement, is considered one of the more popular candidates in the election, which is set to take place by the end of June.

Police have reported a spike in crime after an uprising overthrew president Hosni Mubarak one year ago, and which also targeted police stations across the country.

Drivers in particular complain of an increase in carjackings on Cairo’s ring road.