Military denies earlier reports that
Mubarak was "clinically dead", saying deposed president is on
life-support machine.
Hosni Mubarak, the
deposed Egyptian leader, has been revived and is on an artificial respirator
after he suffered stroke, sources in the interior ministry and from his family said.
A lawyer for
Mubarak's family told Al Jazeera he was actually unconscious and on a
respirator after he was rushed to Maadi Army Hospital near Cairo from Tora
prison hospital on Tuesday.
Mubarak's wife Suzanne
reportedly arrived at the hospital to be at her husband's side.
"We do
understand from family sources that Hosni Mubarak is improving," "We believe he is still in a coma."
"The state TV
has now formally reported that he is in an intensive care unit in Maadi
military hospital," he said.
Hanna said that
earlier there were reports that his heart had stopped and attempts to
resuscitate failed.
Earlier on Tuesday
the state news agency, MENA, quoted medical sources as saying that the former
president, aged 84, was "clinically dead".
'Nonsense' cited
General Said
Abbas, a member of the ruling military council, told Reuters that Mubarak had
suffered a stroke but added, "Any talk of him being clinically dead is
nonsense."
According to an
interior ministry spokesman, he suffered a stroke and his condition rapidly
worsened on Tuesday.
State news agency,
MENA, had earlier reported Mubarak's transfer to hospital from prison, where it
said he had experienced a stroke and been defibrillated.
State TV earlier
said Mubarak was in a "critical" condition and had been placed on a
respirator.
The prison
official said doctors reported that he had fallen unconscious, speaking on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
"Earlier
reports had said [Mubarak's] heart had failed and he had to be resuscitated and
that he had suffered from a stroke," Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh reported
from Cairo on Wednesday.
"Many
Egyptians are skeptical about these reports because for more than a year now
Hosni Mubarak has been portrayed as in poor health."
Egyptians
'skeptical'
"[Mubarak]
showed up to his trial on a hospital stretcher and many people have been
wondering whether the former president is in poor health or whether perhaps the
generals in charge of the country are simply trying to ensure more comfortable
confinement for him and trying to justify his transfer from the prison hospital
to a better medical facility," Rageh said.
Rawya Rageh has
been monitoring speculation about Mubarak's health
"The timing
is of essence. Many are saying the [ruling military] generals are seizing the
opportunity of the current political turmoil to make this move.
"Others say
it could be an attempt to distract public opinion after mounting pressure -
after street protests against the ruling military generals following the recent
expansion of powers, [and] the recent constitutional declaration - that is
being perceived by some as a last minute power-grab before the generals hand
over power to an elected president later this month," our correspondent
said.
The confusion over
the state of health of the former leader came as thousands of Egyptians
returned to Cairo's Tahrir Square hoping to reignite the revolution on Tuesday.
Mubarak was
sentenced to a life in prison on June 2 for failing to stop the killing of
protesters during last year's uprising against him.
He was transferred
to prison after spending months in a military facility in detention. Officials
have since repeatedly reported his health is deteriorating.
Since his arrival
at the prison directly after his sentencing, Mubarak has been suffering from
high blood pressure and breathing difficulties and deep depression, according
to prison officials
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