Police have launched a witness appeal today following the attack on a Tower Hamlets election candidate distributing leaflets in Wapping.

Abdullah Al Mamun was beaten over the head with a metal pole while canvassing on the third floor of Reardon House block of flats at 5.30pm on April 6.

He suffered a head injury and was taken to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel where he received 10 stitches to a head wound before being discharged.

The suspect is described as a man, around 6ft tall, wearing dark clothing and a black mask.

“He had been canvassing ahead of the election at the time he was attacked,” Acting Det Sgt Tomasz Patzer said. “We don’t know whether this was the reason for the assault—but this was a violent incident.”

Detectives want to hear from witnesses who were in Reardon Street that Friday evening on April 6 or anyone with information to call Tower Hamlets CID on 101 (reference CAD 5813/6) or via Twitter @MetCC or alternatively Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Mr Mamun, who is campaigning for a seat in the St Katharine’s & Wapping voting ward on May 3, was still recovering last Friday from the attack the previous week and was unable to attend his party’s manifesto launch in Whitechapel addressed by its candidate for mayor Ohid Ahmed and by ex-mayor Lutfur Rayhman now is banned from office.

The attack led to a call by the Aspire party on all rival candidates in the election to ask their supporters to “behave ethically”.

Mr Mamun had previously been threatened and warned not to campaign in Wapping “otherwise we will sort you out”, he claimed after the attack.

No arrests have been made so far. An Aspire party spokesman told the East London Advertiser: “This was a cowardly, serious and despicable physical attack on one of our candidates while he was simply knocking on doors.”

The April 6 attack is the second serious incident in Wapping involving Aspire during the election campaign, following a dispute with a rival candidate for mayor in a tussle with potential voters at Glamis Hall last month. A complaint was later made to police against the party.

Scotland Yard meanwhile is investigating fresh allegations, first revealed in an interim report into voting fraud reported in the Advertiser in February. Its ‘Operation Lynmouth’ looking into election malpractice is examining 39 fresh complaints in the run-up to next month’s voting.