Unknown assailants attacked protesters who have been camping near the headquarters of the defence ministry for the past four days to voice anger at the disqualification of Salafist Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail from the presidential race which is set for later this month.

The assailants attacked the protesters in the early hours of Wednesday with cement-based bombs, stones, molotov bombs, birdshot guns and teargas cannisters according to eyewitness reports.

Protesters fought the attack with stones, and set up a second field hospital to treat the wounded who included cases of broken limbs and suffocation due to inhaling teargas.

Meanwhile, a group of residents in the Abbasiya district in Cairo, where the sit-in and attacks against it have been taking place, marched on the area's police station to call on the authorities to intervene to protect the peaceful protesters.

This is the second such attack on the protesters in less than 72 hours. The last attack on Saturday reportedly left one protester dead and tens injured.