CNN’s Anderson Cooper attacked by Mubarak supporters in Cairo

Amidst a dramatic escalation of violence in Cairo between supporters and opponents of president Hosni Mubarak, CNN is reporting that its correspondent Anderson Cooper and his crew were attacked and hit in the head several times by pro-Mubarak forces.

Cooper himself reported that the crowd set upon us and that he and his film crew were kicked and punched pretty well … before the mob forced us to seek safety. He also said the crowd was very violent, with people looking for a fight.

CNN’s Steve Brusk tweeted that Cooper was “was punched 10 times in the head as pro-Mubarak mob surrounded him and his crew trying to cover demonstration,”

Meanwhile, dozens of people are reportedly injured in Tahrir Square and fighting appears to be intensifying, with the army apparently not intervening.