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Subscribe to RSSHosni Mubarak's personal attorney says that the ousted Egyptian leader's condition has stabilized since suffering a stroke. NBC's Richard Engel reports from Cairo.
Egypt’s state news agency said former President Hosni Mubarak is "clinically dead" after multiple strokes, but a lawyer for Mubarak told NBC News early Wednesday that the ousted leader was clinging to life.
Mubarak, 84, had reportedly suffered multiple strokes and heart failure and had been moved late Tuesday to a military hospital from the prison hospital where he was being treated. He was reported to be on life support.
His health has been deteriorating since 3 p.m. (9 a.m. ET), his lawyers told NBC. He suffered two or three strokes and his heart had to be restarted with a defibrillator, they said.
Video on Hayat TV showed an ambulance taking Mubarak to Maadi military hospital, the same one where his predecessor Anwar Sadat was declared dead more than 30 years ago after being gunned down by Islamic militants.
"He is in really bad shape," a U.S. official told NBC News.
The confusion over the state of health of the former leader came as his longtime opponents in the Muslim Brotherhood claimed victory of their candidate, Mohammed Morsi, over Ahmed Shafiq, a candidate drawn from the military elite in a presidential election held over the weekend.
An 18-day uprising ended Mubarak’s 30-year rule on Feb. 11, 2011, sparking months of social unrest and political turmoil.
Speculation about Mubarak's health had swirled since he was jailed effectively for life on June 2 for failing to halt the killings of hundreds of the protesters who toppled him.
Philippe Bouchon / AFP - Getty Images
The President of Egypt for nearly 30 years, Mubarak was an advocate for peace in the Middle East and a major U.S. ally, but Egyptians eventually grew tired of his corrupt regime and he was ousted in a popular revolt in February 2011.
He had been moved to Tora prison hospital from a plush military hospital where he was held during the 10-month trial.
Critics had said his illness was being exaggerated to win public sympathy. Egypt's official news agency earlier this month denied reports that Mubarak had slipped into a coma.
Slideshow: Life of Hosni Mubarak
Egypt's prison authority on June 11 approved a request to let Mubarak's eldest son, Alaa, who is being held at the jail pending trial, stay close to him in the prison hospital because of his deteriorating health, security sources said.
His youngest son, Gamal, once viewed as heir-apparent to the presidency and who is also detained pending trial, was moved closer to him earlier.
Mubarak’s wife, Suzanne, and the wives of his two sons visited him earlier this month and demanded he be moved to a hospital outside prison.
This report from Charlene Gubash, NBC News Cairo producer, includes information from Reuters and The Associated Press.
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This guy was no saint, but he has been a ally to the US , the Muslim brotherhood wants to rule the world starting with the middleast they are not our friends.
He's just so clingy. Stop it already.
Where's a banana peel when the world needs it?
PMS-NBC has lied and distorted so many reports - I doubt this is the full story... If MS-NBC would setup an innocent person (Zimmerman) and then purposely and falsely report a Romney event (for their own purposes) how can we trust any of this???
I think PMS-NBC is fabricating news....
This is what happens when you outlive your usefulness to the American government (or the mafia).
Murbarak, just die already! You've put Egypt through enough!
Why the sunglasses?
Hey, put that excuse of an human to sleep....they will not be 72 virgins waiting for him, but two sleazy sluts who know what they're doing.....WALTER!!!!
Thanks for 30 years of stability, We will see what comes of the "Muslim Brotherhood" I am guessing 50 years of violence and civil war. Thanks Obama/Hillary. Just another FAILURE in your legecy.
Just pull the damned plug.
He will not be going to his beloved Ala. More like Lucifer
Pull the plug......
Was he not a friend to The United States for a long time?
Yawn, this is news? When are the "Schools of Journalism" going to start a course entitled "Differentiation between actual news and tabloid bullshyte"?
Welcome Sharia Law!
Everyone dies.
Glad he's out.
Just gotta say the dude is rockin those shades.... even lying in a hospital bed. Never mess with a man who wears shades to bed.
I guess we'll just have to struggle along without him. :D
This fall's Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live: "Hosni Mubarak still dead."
Somebody tell those Doctors there is an Energy Crisis worldwide so stop wasting electricity restarting his Heart if he is Clinically Brain Dead anyways..I mean How Stupid...Lets keep his Heart functioning because We Can!!! He has Lots of Money, Lets siphon some off for as Long as we can!!!
This makes about as Much sense as a Caution, Long drop sticker on an Airplane door!!!
Or
Caution Wild Animals, Do not try to cuddle the Bears!!!