An Egyptian woman and her child pose for a photo by a mural depicting military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi on the left side of the face and ousted president Mubarak, right side with Arabic that reads, "who assigned you did not die, No for gas export to Israel" at Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
An Egyptian woman and her child pose for a photo by a mural depicting military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi on the left side of the face and ousted president Mubarak, right side with Arabic that reads, "who assigned you did not die, No for gas export to Israel" at Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
An elderly Egyptian woman walks past a mural depicting military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi with Arabic that reads "If you see the teeth, don't think that the lion is smiling" at Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
An Egyptian woman holds a photo of the ousted Egyptian President Mubarak outside a courtroom in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012. Egypt's ousted President Hosni Mubarak has turned down the chance to address the court on the last session before the verdict in his seven-month trial. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
CAIRO (AP) ? A leading Egyptian Islamist and presidential hopeful who suffered a concussion after a carjacking attack on a highway to Cairo requested on Friday that police afford him extra protection.
Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh was attacked by masked gunmen late Thursday and struck three times in the head with the butt of an automatic rifle, said campaign spokesman Ali Bahnasawy. The attackers drove off with the vehicle.
Police officials said they are investigating the incident and searching for suspects.
Bahnasawy said Abolfotoh requested police protection after the attack, but has not yet been given any.
The brazen attack on a presidential hopeful, just months before elections are to be held, highlighted the deteriorating security across Egypt since the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak from power a year ago.
"The absence of Interior Ministry security around him after the incident is very strange and it's a big question mark," Bahnasawy told the Associated Press.
An Interior Ministry official said the main presidential candidates will soon be afforded extra security at their homes and on the campaign trail. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been publicly announced.
Abolfotoh suffered a concussion from the attack, but was released from a Cairo hospital Friday morning, though he remains under medical supervision, Bahnasawy added.
Campaign officials said the motive for the carjacking was not immediately clear, but suspected it might have been a targeted attack. "We don't believe it's random, but we're not sure yet," Bahnasawy said.
While many blame the Interior Ministry for the deteriorating security over the past year, others see it as part of the failure by the ruling military council to steer the country through what was supposed to be a transition to democracy.
Once a reformist within the Muslim Brotherhood, Abolfotoh has gained some support among activists behind Egypt's uprising. The Brotherhood, which has emerged as the country's most powerful Islamist group and controls nearly half of seats in the newly-elected parliament, expelled him when he declared his intention to run in the presidential balloting.
The Brotherhood on Friday released a statement condemning the attack on Abolfotoh.
The group has vowed not to field a candidate in the elections, slated to take place by early June. Nominations for presidential candidates start in two weeks.
Abolfotoh had been campaigning for the presidency and was on his way back from a rally in Menoufia, 40 miles (60 kilometers) north of Cairo, when he was attacked. The gunmen drove off with his rental car after beating him and his driver.
Several members on Abolfotoh's team told the AP that they suspect the attack was made to look like a carjacking. Bahnasawy said some people in Menoufia had asked suspicious questions about Abolfotoh's route and travel details before he left the event.
Crime has been on the rise in post-Mubarak Egypt, but has focused mainly on personal robberies, while murders have been rare.
During the 18-day uprising, more than 23,000 prisoners were either let out or broke out of prison during a collapse of the police force. Police now say that most of the crimes are being committed by some 5,000 escaped convicts who have yet to be caught.
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