Egypt poll candidate Abu al-Futuh in carjack Published duration 24 February 2012

image copyright Other image caption Abdul Moneim Abu al-Futuh is one of the candidates hoping to replace toppled President Hosni Mubarak

A presidential candidate in Egypt is recovering in hospital after an attack in which his car was stolen.

Masked gunmen stopped Abdul Moneim Abu al-Futuh's car on the edge of the capital, Cairo, as he returned from an election rally.

He was hit on the head with a rifle-butt and suffered concussion.

His campaign has asked for better police security. It is unclear if the attack was politically motivated, but the area is notorious for carjacking.

The BBC's Cairo correspondent Jon Leyne says the crime has become increasingly common since the revolution last year.

But members of Mr Abu al-Futuh's campaign have said they believe the car was stolen to disguise what was really a politically motivated attack.

They say a number of people asked suspicious questions about the candidate's route and travel details before he left the rally.

Expelled

It is not clear who might have been behind such an attack. Police say they are investigating the incident.

Abdul Moneim Abu al-Futuh is a former senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Islamist movement has decided not to put up a candidate for president, so when he announced that he was going to stand, he was expelled.

The BBC's Jon Leyne says Mr Abu al-Futuh does still have a good degree of political support in Egypt.