CAIRO: Masked gunmen attacked the car of Egypt’s central bank governor on Wednesday, killing his bodyguard and stealing the vehicle, the Interior Ministry said. The bank chief was not in the car at the time of the assault.
Egypt has been hit by an unprecedented wave of violence, including armed robberies, kidnappings and car thefts, following the breakdown of security agencies in the wake of the uprising against longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak two years ago.
Central bank chief Hesham Ramez, who was recently appointed to the post, told the pan-Arab Al-Arabiya TV station that the attack appeared to be a random criminal act and not an assassination attempt.
The crime rate in Egypt has risen as the country’s economy has unraveled and its politics have descended into relentless turmoil, marred by increasingly violent protests and government security crackdowns. Religious edicts criminalyzing opposition to the government and permitting killing opponents have fueled concerns of potentially more political violence.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement that assailants in two four-wheel drive vehicles intercepted the bank chief’s car, and a second sedan carrying a bodyguard, as it was traveling to pick Ramez up from his home.
The attackers opened fire on the two vehicles on a highway in Giza, Cairo’s sister city, killing the bodyguard. The assailants then sped away with the governor’s car, the statement said.
Gunmen steal Egypt central bank chief’s car
