Heart Attack
The 83-year-old former president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, is said to have suffered a heart attack and lapsed into a coma in the Red Sea Resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.
President Mubarak has been under arrest in the southernmost tip of the Sinai Peninsula desert ever since his ouster from power during the February Egyptian protests which have come to be known as the “Arab Spring.”
Trial Date Approaching
On August 3rd Mubarak was scheduled to be put on trial for the murder of protestors during the uprising as well as abuse of his power as president. During early questioning of Mubarak in early April the ex-president was said to have suffered from heart problems and was immediately placed in hospital, where he has remained ever since.
In late May a group of doctors were called upon to examine Mubarak and evaluate his state of health to decide if he should be moved to a prison hospital instead of the civilian hospital where he is now. The doctors’ conclusion was that Mubarak was too ill to be moved at that time, revealing that Mubarak was suffering from depression, poor circulation, and had a high risk of suffering cardiac arrest.
Cancer, Too
The medical evaluation also revealed that the former president of Egypt had cancer in his gall bladder and pancreas, a recurrence of an illness for which he had previous surgery.
There is a history of rumors which circulated about the ill-health of Mubarak, but government officials in Egypt always denied that he was suffering from any illness considered life-threatening. Last month, however, Mubarak’s lawyer, Farid el-Deeb admitted that Mubarak had cancer, and today el-Deeb revealed that Mubarak is now in a coma after suffering a heart attack.