Mubarak attacker held grudge

The Associated Press

CAIRO, Egypt -- Friends and neighbors say the man who attacked President Hosni Mubarak on Monday was a religious conservative who had a grudge against the government and said he hoped to "die a martyr."

Police on Tuesday questioned those who knew Said Hassan Suleiman, 40, who was shot dead by Mubarak's guards after running at the president with a sharp object and grazing his right hand during a motorcade through the city of Port Said, in northern Egypt.

A bodyguard was slightly injured while struggling with Suleiman.

Police officials, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said the interior minister on Tuesday transferred three senior security chiefs from their posts in Port Said to unnamed locations.

Suleiman's parents, three brothers and immediate neighbors were taken in for questioning, police said.

A statement by the Interior Ministry about Monday's attack said Suleiman "has been known for impulsive behavior and recklessness" but had "no political affiliations."

Neighbors, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said Suleiman, who worked as a clothing vendor, was arrested nearly two months ago on suspicion of belonging to an Islamic militant group but was released three days later.

Nasser Abdel-Aziz, a merchant, said he considered Suleiman "a religious extremist" and noticed he had shaved off his beard a few days ago. Mubarak's guards would have been suspicious of a bearded man because Muslim militants often wear beards.

Mohammed Karwiya, who owns a restaurant next to Suleiman's stall in Port Said, said Suleiman told him a few days ago that he soon hoped to "die a martyr" but didn't elaborate.

Friends and owners of shops next to Suleiman's stall said the vendor was known for picking fights. In September 1997, Suleiman stormed into a housing committee meeting chaired by Port Said Governor Mustafa Sadeq, demanding an apartment for which he had waited 10 years. He accused the local government of favoritism in its allocation of apartments.

Others in Port Said, about 100 miles northeast of Cairo, said Suleiman's strict reading of Islam led him to keep his wife in the house, even hanging up the laundry himself rather than risk her being seen.

Mubarak's predecessor, Anwar Sadat, was assassinated in 1981 by Islamic militants after he signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. Mubarak, who was Sadat's vice president, became president after the assassination and has taken an active role in mediating peace treaties between Israel and other Arabs.

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