CAIRO, Feb 24 (Reuters) - A leading Islamist candidate
for the Egyptian presidency was attacked by armed men overnight
and was in an intensive care unit in hospital suffering from
brain concussion, aides said on Friday.
Abdel Moneim Abol Fotoh, 60, was on his way home from a
campaign event in the city of Munufeya when three armed men
wearing masks and carrying machineguns stopped him.
"They beat him on the head repeatedly, took the car and
ran," said campaign team member Ahmed Osama.
"He is now in the intensive care unit and conscious," said
Osama.
The attack occurred two weeks before candidates register to
run in the presidential election that Egypt is holding under
plans by the ruling military council to hand over power to a new
head of state at the end of June.
Abol Fotoh was expelled from the Muslim Brotherhood, which
emerged as the biggest single party in a parliamentary election,
when he defied its decision not to put up a presidential
candidate.
Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi, one of the most widely respected
Sunni Muslim clerics in the Arab world, has described Abol Fotoh
as the "leading candidate" in a field including former Arab
League Secretary General Amr Moussa, a liberal and former
foreign minister.
The Muslim Brotherhood's decision not to field its own
presidential candidate is part of an effort to ease concerns at
home and abroad about Islamist domination of Egypt after an
uprising toppled Hosni Mubarak from 30 years of power last
February.
The military council has ruled Egypt since then.
(Writing by Marwa Awad; Editing by Ralph Gowling)
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