Quoting a "security official," the AP reports that Hosni Mubarak's heart stopped just as he reached a military hospital. Mubarak is now on life support.
The former Egyptian president, who ruled for 30 years, was being transfered to the military hospital from prison after suffering a stroke.
Reporting from Cairo, NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi-Nelson tells our Newscast unit that Mubarak's health has declined since he was sentenced in June.
"Many Egyptians feel his health claims have been exaggerated in order to give the government an excuse to move him to a more comfortable place," she said. But listening to state TV's description of his condition, it's clear that "this is serious," reports Soraya.
Mubarak is serving a life sentence for the death of civilians that occurred during the uprising that toppled him.
Update at 7:30 a.m. ET, June 20. Our Latest Post:
Will Egypt's Generals Use News About Mubarak To Further Delay Democracy?
Update at 6:33 p.m. ET. Thousands In Tahrir:
Thousands of Egyptians have gathered tonight at Tahrir Square, the center of the revolution that toppled Mubarak's 30-year regime. But they are there to protest military rule; more specifically to protest the recent Supreme Court ruling that dissolved parliament and the recent decision by the Supreme Council Of The Armed Forces to extend its rule and give itself legislative authority.
CNN's Ivan Watson reports on Twitter that "no one in Tahrir is talking about Mubarak. Crowd is chanting 'down with military rule.'"
Update at 5:58 p.m. ET. On Life Support:
The AP has just moved this alert:
"Security official says Egypt's Mubarak is on life support."
Update at 5:48 p.m. ET. Conflicting Reports:
There are conflicting reports on Mubarak's condition. MENA, the official news agency, reported that he was "clinically dead."
But, now, a Mubarak lawyer is saying he is not dead, NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi-Nelson reports.
Reuters, which had also reported he was "clinically dead" quoting sources, is now walking away from the report saying two security sources tell it Mubarak is "unconscious and on a respirator."
CNN's Christiane Amanpour reports on Twitter that General Mamdouh Shaheen, a member of the ruling military, says, "Mubarak is not clinically dead."
Update at 5:36 p.m. ET. Trying To Save Him:
"Egypt state TV is now reporting that they are trying to save him after his health deteriorated rapidly," reports NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi-Nelson
Update at 4:41 p.m. ET. Mubarak Moved:
The AP reports that a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry said Mubarak had been moved from the prison to a military hospital. The AP reports:
"The spokesman Alaa Mahmoud says the 84-year-old Mubarak was moved by ambulance from the hospital in Torah Prison to nearby Maadi Hospital in southern Cairo. The military facility is where Mubarak's predecessor Anwar Sadat was declared dead after being shot by Islamic extremists in 1981."
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