An assasination attempt was made on former Vice President Omar Suleiman during the Egyptian revolution, a few days after then-President Hosni Mubarak appointed him to the post, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Wednesday.
Aboul Gheit, who witnessed the incident said that the attempt killed one of Suleiman's bodyguards and seriously injured his driver.
A barrage of fire coming from an ambulance was directed at Suleiman's car while he was on his way to the Presidential Palace in Heliopolis, according to Aboul Gheit, who said bullet holes covered the car.
Fox News reported on 4 February that Suleiman was targeted shortly after being named to his post, describing it as an organized attack on his motorcade. But Egyptian authorities denied the incident at the time.
Suleiman, who has run Egypt's intelligence for nearly two decades, was appointed vice president on 29 January in an effort to calm crowds calling for the fall of Mubarak's government.
There has been little news about Suleiman following his announcement of Mubarak's resignation and the delegation of authority to Armed Forces on 11 February, but Aboul Gheit's statement about the assassination attempt is an indication that Suleiman's authority has diminished.
