Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and sons placed in detention (VIDEO)
An Egyptian protester wearing the mask of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak stands with handcuffs inside a makeshift prison cell at Cairo’s Tahrir Square on April 8, 2011 during a demonstration attended by tens of thousands of Egyptians, two months after Mubarak was ousted, to demand that former regime officials including the veteran strongman be purged and tried.
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons have been placed in detention for 15 days pending an inquiry over use of force against protesters during the public unrest that brought an end to his 30-year-rule.
Mubarak, who reportedly suffered a heart attack on Tuesday while being questioned by prosecutors, was placed under detention in a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
He and his sons, Gamal and Alaa, also face corruption charges after being accused of siphoning off huge sums of state money and concealing it in foreign bank accounts, land and property.
Mubarak's son were driven through a crowd of 2,000 protesters and taken to Cairo's Tora prison, which houses Egypt's most notorious political prisoners and fallen officials, AFP reports.
"Brothers, whatever you wanted, you have got … 15 days," Major-General Mohammed el-Khatib, a security officials in South Sinai said, according to Al Jazeera.
Egyptian state TV reported Tuesday that Mubarak, 82, collapsed just before he was to have been questioned by prosecutors. The report added that Mubarak had stopped eating and drinking after he was summoned for questioning two days earlier.
The state-run newspaper Al Ahram said he had suffered a minor heart attack and would need a week tor recover.
At least 800 people are believed to have been killed when police fired on protesters during anti-Mubarak uprisings earlier this year, Al Jazeera said. An investigation has been launched into officials accused of ordering the attacks.
Mubarak, in his first public remarks since his ouster, on Sunday tried to clear his name by denying he held bank accounts or properties outside Egypt.
News of investigations into the Mubarak family's financial dealings — including that Mubarak has assets worth $70 billion — have angered Egyptians as they try to move beyond a repressive police state, according to the LA Times.
Mubarak said he had the right to defend his reputation and that of his family.
Since Feb. 11, when Egypt was taken over by a military council, the 82-year-old has been living in his private palace in Sharm El Sheikh, with his assets frozen and a travel ban imposed on his family members.
Mubarak underwent gallbladder surgery and had a growth removed from his intestine at a German hospital one year ago.
— Freya Petersen, Barry Neild
Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you. We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll help us unlock a matching gift of $67,000!