Egypt's leading anti-corruption campaigner attacked with knives outside Cairo home

A leading Egyptian anti-corruption campaigner and aide to Abdel Fatah al-Sisi's main challenger in upcoming presidential elections, has been severely injured after being attacked outside his home Saturday, family members have said.

Hisham Geneina was a former anti-corruption watchdog chief and part of Lieutenant General Sami Anan's campaign team for March’s presidential elections before the challenger was arrested.

Two cars approached Geneina as he left his home Saturday with five men attacking the activist with knives and sticks, Anan's spokesman Hazem Hosny told Reuters.

"His knee is broken and he is bleeding from several parts of his body ... they were trying to kill him," his wife Wafaa Kedieh told the agency.

Geneina was sacked by Sisi as Egypt's main auditor after he claimed the country had lost $1 billion to corruption in the past three years.

He was charged with spreading "fake news" after he was dismissed.

Sisi's government has been accused of prolific corruption by human rights groups.

Lieutenant General Sami Anan was seen as Sisi's main challenger, before he was detained earlier this week. Anan was accused of not receiving permission from army staff to run for president.

Other challengers who posed a threat to Sisi have also been detained or shackled with unsubstantiated charges.

Sisi became Egypt's leader after a military coup overthrew the country's first democratically-elected government in 2013.