By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Cairo : Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit confirmed that former vice president Omar Suleiman survived an assassination bid at the height of the recent nationwide revolution, the Middle East News Agency said Thursday.
The Egyptian authorities earlier denied media reports that Suleiman was attacked Feb 5, when the country was witnessing mass unrest and hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters were gathered at Cairo’s Tahrir Square demanding removal of Hosni Mubarak.
Gheit said he has seen Suleiman’s vehicle, which was riddled with bullets. Assailants stole an ambulance in order to approach Suleiman’s convoy and attacked it.
The attack left one of Suleiman’s bodyguards dead, another bodyguard and the driver received injuries.
Since 1986, Suleiman has been one of the leading figures in Egypt’s intelligence system.
He was appointed vice president by then-president Hosni Mubarak Jan 29 amid the mass uprising that swept across Egypt, leading to the end of Mubarak’s 31-year-rule.
Suleiman, like Mubarak, also left his post after handing over power to the country’s military council, paving the way for the smooth transition of power through general election scheduled to be held in September.