Assassination Attempt of Egypt's new Power Broker

Reports are surfacing that the newly appointed VP of Mubarak has survived an assassination attempt, that left two of his body guards dead.

Currently, these reports are mere rumours that must be taken with a grain of salt. However, an inside the palace type political assassination is not unprecedented in Egypt. Robert Gibbs' reaction to the rumours in a press conference today sheds some light on how tense and unstable the situation in Egypt is right now:

One brief exchange was tantalising though. Mr Gibbs was asked if there had been an assassination attempt against Vice-President Omar Suleiman in the last few days. Looking rattled, he said he wasn't going to get into that. Other sources are equally reticent as to any detail but certainly suggest something happened. If it is true, the big question would be who would be behind it this attempt.

Suleiman is the 'heir apparent' to the throne. An assassination attempt could come from various groups such as members of the security detail who are closet 'Brothers'. Another source could be members close to Tantawi, who is right under Suleiman in the pecking order of Egyptian power.

In any regards, the top echelons of Egypt are extremely nervous. Even if Mubarak is off to the Bahamas tomorrow, he will leave his successor with a largely unworkable constitution.


UPDATE: Just in case you don't find the situation in Egypt confusing enough, here is a new development on the story. Apparently the German diplomat who was quoted by the media as the source, just retracted and now maintains that his source of the rumour was 'unsabstantiated'.

-QP