Egypt presidential candidate wounded in apparent robbery

CAIRO: 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.

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. (AFP)