[ 2011-04-13 ]

Hosni Mubarak is said to have been refusing food and drink while in detention

Egypt: Mubarak and sons detained amid corruption probe
Egypt's prosecutor general has ordered the
detention of former President Hosni Mubarak, ahead
of an investigation into corruption and abuse
allegations.

Mr Mubarak, 82, is in hospital after reportedly
suffering heart problems. His detention order will
be in place for 15 days, state TV reported.

His sons Alaa and Gamal have also been detained
amid allegations of corruption and violence,
police say.

Mr Mubarak stood down in February after a popular
uprising against his rule.

Since then, tens of thousands of protesters have
staged weekly Friday protests in Cairo's Tahrir
Square, demanding that he stand trial.

At least 360 people are thought to have been
killed during the protests, as police opened fire
and cracked down on the crowds. Rights groups say
the figure is much higher.

There are also widespread allegations of
corruption and abuse of power under Mr Mubarak's
30-year rule.

Sons pelted

"The prosecutor general orders the detention of
former President Hosni Mubarak and his sons Gamal
and Alaa for 15 days pending investigation after
the prosecutor general presented them with the
current state of its ongoing investigations," said
a post on the prosecutor general's Facebook page
on Wednesday.

The announcement came a day after Mr Mubarak had
been admitted to hospital with heart problems,
although reports indicated that he was well enough
to undergo questioning.

The former Egyptian leader had been keeping a low
profile in Sharm el-Sheikh, a Red Sea resort,
after fleeing to his holiday villa there when he
was overthrown.

Late on Tuesday, a crowd of about 2,000 people had
gathered outside the hospital, demanding that the
sons be arrested.

As a police van with drawn curtains took away the
two brothers for questioning, the crowd pelted it
with water bottles, stones and their flip-flops,
the AP news agency reported.

On Wednesday morning the pair were transferred to
Tora prison complex in Cairo, home to other fallen
officials and and some of the country's most
notorious political prisoners.

Speculation that the younger son, Gamal, was being
groomed to take over from his father helped to
galvanise Egypt's protest movement.

Gamal, an investment banker, was a high-ranking
member of President Mubarak's ruling party. His
close associates were billionaires and held top
positions in the ruling party and the government.

Mr Mubarak, along with his sons and their wives,
have been banned from leaving the country. The
family's assets have been frozen.

In a pre-recorded audio message on Sunday, he
broke his silence of the last two months to say
his reputation and that of his sons had been
damaged and he would work to clear their names.

On Tuesday, Egyptian soldiers and police moved
into Tahrir Square in Cairo and ended a sit-in by
protesters demanding civilian rule and swifter
prosecution of former officials.

A military council has been ruling Egypt since Mr
Mubarak stepped down.

Source - BBC

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