Egypt's Mubarak detained, army win protest respite

Former president Hosni Mubarak and his sons detained for 15 days for investigation.

CAIRO: Hosni Mubarak was ordered detained for 15 days on Wednesday, winning the ruling army generals a respite from protests by quashing suspicions that they were shielding their former commander from investigation.

Mubarak, driven from presidential office on Feb 11 by mass demonstrations against his 30-year rule, was admitted to hospital on Tuesday suffering what state media called a "heart crisis". Reports conflicted on the seriousness of his illness.

The public prosecutor had summoned and questioned Mubarak over the killing of protesters, embezzling of public funds and abuse of power. More than 380 protesters were killed in 18-days of demonstrations that led to Mubarak's downfall.

"Former President Hosni Mubarak was detained for 15 days for investigation," state television reported. It said his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, have also been questioned as part of the probe and ordered detained.

In his first public comment since stepping down, broadcast on Al Arabiya on Sunday, Mubarak denied wrongdoing.

An army helicopter landed near Mubarak's hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday to take the former president to Cairo, Al Jazeera reported. One security source told Reuters that Mubarak could be moved to Cairo or the outskirts to assist the probe.

There was no official confirmation. Another security source earlier said Mubarak was expected to stay in Sharm el-Sheikh.

The official news agency also said it was not yet determined where Mubarak would be taken. It reported heavy security around the hospital in the Red Sea resort.

The source said Mubarak's sons were taken to a prison on the outskirts of Cairo, joining a list of ex-ministers and officials under investigation and held in the same jail.

Gamal, 47, Mubarak's younger son, held a top post in the ruling party. Many Egyptians believed he was being groomed for top office, although both father and son denied any such plan.

"This is a serious step forward in holding the president accountable and ends any suspicion that the state and the military were in cahoots with Mubarak," said Hassan Nafaa, a political scientist and activist for reform.

"We want our money"

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians protested on Friday in Cairo's Tahrir Square over delays in trying Mubarak and criticised Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the army council head who was Mubarak's defence minister for 20 years.

"The military council moved fast because of the pressure protesters have built up in Tahrir. In the past weeks there has been real criticism of Tantawi and the military council that they are slow and looking after Mubarak as their commander," said Shadi Ghazali Harb, from a pro-democracy youth movement.

He said plans for another protest on Friday were on hold to see how swiftly the army and prosecutor moved towards a trial.

Political analyst Fahmy Hueidi said: "The army succumbed to people pressure to bring Mubarak and family to justice."

On Tuesday, soldiers broke up a five-day sit-in at Tahrir Square, the epicentre of Egypt's uprising in January.

Protesters had vowed to keep up the pressure, although many ordinary Egyptians are tired of the protests that have hammered the economy and disrupted their lives.

There were conflicting reports about Mubarak's condition. A state television report said he was in intensive care after a "heart crisis" during questioning. Al Arabiya said he was fit enough to be questioned in hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh.

The timing of his health setback prompted skepticism among some protesters about the motives of the army, which has pushed for swift elections to hand over power. The army praised and thanked Mubarak when he left office, but protesters criticized him for ruling by emergency law and widening a rich-poor divide.

"We want our money. We want the thief to be tried," chanted dozens of people near the hospital on Tuesday in the resort where Mubarak spent more and more time before leaving office.

Diplomats say there is no sign the military wants to hold on in government but say it may loom in the background as the nation's self-appointed guardian.

Mubarak has suffered from health problems in recent years and went to Germany for gall bladder surgery in March 2010.

There were frequent rumours about his health as he aged, particularly after his last bout of surgery.

Mubarak vowed to die in Egypt when he addressed the country's 80 million people shortly before he stepped down.

After Friday's demonstration, soldiers and police used tasers and batons to try to drive out the protesters after nightfall. Medical sources said 13 men were wounded by gunfire and two died. The army denied using live ammunition.

Angry protesters demanded the army hand power to civilians, but soldiers moved in on Tuesday to end the sit-in. Soldiers with rifles rounded up several young men and pushed them into vans. They gathered up barbed wire used by demonstrators to block the square and dismantled makeshift barriers.

By early evening traffic was flowing through Tahrir, a major junction of roads that was the focus of the protests.