Health ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said Barakat had undergone surgery after he had dislocated his shoulder and suffered from a deep cut, with the suspicion of a fractured nose.
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A powerful vehicle bomb killed Egypt’s top prosecutor Monday in a high-profile assassination that underscored the apparently expanding reach of militants and their ability to mount a sophisticated strike against a well-protected senior official.
Egypt’s Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat, 65, has died following the bomb attack on his vehicle, officials said.
At least nine people, including two drivers and five members of the security forces, were also injured in the attack.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Barakat was killed by a auto bomb as his convoy made its way through the crowded streets of Cairo.
Many of Barakat’s prosecutions had also been criticized by human rights advocates, who said the cases were built on flimsy evidence and politically motivated charges.
Earlier this month, Morsi himself and other top Brotherhood leaders were sentenced to hang for their alleged role in jailbreaks during the 2011 uprising against dictator Hosni Mubarak. Sinai militants mainly strike at army and police targets in the rugged peninsula, but have mounted a few major bombings in heartland cities including Cairo.
The Giza Popular Resistance movement has claimed responsibility in a Facebook post. A auto laden with large amount of explosives was detonated by a remote control as Barakat’s auto and his entourage passed.
The ISIS affiliate, which now calls itself the group’s “Sinai Province”, called for renewed attacks on elements of the Egyptian justice system in a video released just hours before the Monday explosion.
It took place on the eve of anniversary celebrations to mark protests which paved the way for the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in a 2013 military coup. Ansar Beit al-Maqdis – which has since pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group – claimed responsibility for that attack.
Qatar, the financial supporter of the Brotherhood, has strongly condemned the attack, saying “Qatar rejects of political violence and killing, regardless of their reasons, motives and justifications”.
Judicial sources told Reuters any amendments could also restrict the number of appeals to one from two and give judges final say on which witnesses could testify. This has brought the Egyptian judiciary and officials under worldwide criticism.
The Egyptian judiciary claims it is independent of the military and government, but some of the country’s judges have been accused of blatant bias by imposing lengthy jail terms and mass death sentences on militant Islamists.
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The three-minute video includes brief images of several other prominent judges, including one who sentenced Morsi to death.
