Report: Corruption suspected in Mideast defense

An international monitoring group on Wednesday warned that excessive secrecy in Mideast security agencies leaves countries like Egypt, Libya and Tunisia open to corruption even after the overthrow of authoritarian regimes.

Continued secrecy and lack of civilian oversight in defense ministries and armed forces in the Middle East and North Africa expose them to corrupt practices, the Britain-based Transparency International said in a report on the Mideast and North Africa region released in Beirut.

Of the 19 countries surveyed, only a few disclose their defense budgets, the group said. None of the countries makes public the size of its military or the troops' salaries.

In Syria, for example, the group notes that defense policy was under tight control of the ruling Assad family even before the civil war there. And countries in transition, such as Egypt, Libya Tunisia and Yemen, lack any accountability, legislative oversight and credible "whistleblowing" systems through which concerned officers or defense officials can report suspected corruption.

It's a clear indication that replacing authoritarian leaders with elected ones is not enough to eradicate corruption, Mark Pyman, the director of the Transparency's Defense and Security Program, told The Associated Press in an interview.

"Corruptive structures have been allowed to develop and mature within defense institutions and armed forces over 20 or 30 years, and a regime change will not make them go away," Pyman told the AP. "The new administrations need to work actively to ensure that those elements of state become properly accountable in defense and security issues."

There are no signs that Egypt's elected leaders are working to open defense institutions to public oversight, Pyman said, and secrecy and lack of accountability prevail in the aftermath of the political turmoil that has been engulfing the country since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in a popular uprising two years ago.

In Egypt and in other countries that have experienced decades of authoritarian rule, including Libya, Yemen, Algeria and Syria, the military owns a large portion of commercial economic outlets. Little or nothing is known about their profits.

The absence of independent legislatures in these countries contributes to high political corruption risk, the group said, adding that it has evidence that suggests organized crime has penetrated the defense sectors in at least some of the countries.

Countries that are ranked slightly higher by the watchdog are Iraq, Iran, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Morocco. Even so, their risk of corruption is still significant given that they don't publicly disclose the percentage of the national budget that is spent on secret items. All these countries show limited activity to counter corruption and enforce existing controls in the political part of the defense sector, the report said, concluding that the risk of improper purchases taking place in these nations remains high.

Shoes thrown at Iran President Ahmadinejad in Egypt

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Cairo on Tuesday, the first by an Iranian leader in more than three decades, highlights efforts by Egypt's Islamist leader to thaw long frigid ties between the two regional heavyweights.

Although the official welcome was warm, there was unscripted discord from Sunni protesters angry over Iran's support for the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, as well as decades of sectarian animosity between Shiite-led Iran and the region's Sunni majority.

At one point, Ahmadinejad was forced to flee an ancient mosque in downtown Cairo after a Syrian protester took off his shoes and threw them at him.

ater, anti-Iranian protesters raised their shoes up while blocking the main gates to Al-Azhar, the Sunni world's most prestigious religious institution, where Egypt's most prominent cleric chided Ahmadinejad for interfering in the affairs of Sunni nations.

The protests illustrate the limits to how far and how quickly Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi can go in reaching out to Iran: His Sunni allies at home view mainly Shiite Iran as a bitter rival, and Cairo can't afford to alienate Washington and Gulf Arab states who seek to isolate Tehran.

The three-day visit, centered around an Islamic summit, was an attempt by Morsi to strike an independent foreign policy and reassert Egypt's historic regional leadership role following the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, a close US ally who shared Washington's deep suspicions of Tehran. Such a visit by an Iranian leader would have been unthinkable under Mubarak.

Morsi gave Ahmadinejad a red-carpet welcome on the tarmac at Cairo airport, shaking his hand, hugging and exchanging a kiss on each check.

The two leaders then sat down for a 20-minute talk that focused on the civil war in Syria, security officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. Iran is Damascus' closest regional ally, while Egypt is among those that have called on Assad to step down.

Still, the chasm inherited from 34 years of bitter relations and the rift between overwhelmingly Sunni Egypt and Iran's Shiite leadership were on display.

Sunni-Shiite tensions dominated talks between Ahmadinejad and Egypt's most prominent cleric, Sheik Ahmed el-Tayeb, who upbraided the Iranian leader on a string of issues and warned against Iranian interference in Gulf nations, particularly Bahrain, where the ruling Sunni minority has faced protests by the Shiite majority.

El-Tayeb said attempts to spread Shiite Islam in mainly Sunni Arab nations were unacceptable and called for a halt to bloodshed in Syria, where Tehran's ally Assad has been battling rebels, according to a statement by Al-Azhar about the meeting.

The Sunni cleric also demanded that Ahmadinejad speak out against insults hurled at the first caliphs who succeeded the Prophet Muhammad and other figures close to the prophet in the 7th century. Those figures are widely resented among Shiites because they are seen as having pushed aside Ali, the prophet's son-in-law, who Shiites consider his rightful successor. The dispute over succession is at the root of the centuries-old split between Islam's Shiite and Sunni sects.

The meeting was "tense," acknowledged an aide to the sheik, Hussein al-Shafie, speaking at a news conference with Ahmadinejad that el-Tayeb did not attend.

Earlier, a Syrian man was arrested by police after he hurled his shoes at the Iranian leader outside the ancient al-Hussein mosque in downtown Cairo, according to security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Ahmadinejad's visit came nearly six months after another historic first: a trip by Morsi to Tehran, where disdain for Egypt led the ruling regime to name one of its streets after the ringleader of the assassination team that gunned down President Anwar Sadat in 1981.

Egypt was once closely allied to Iran's former ruling shah. The two countries severed relations after the 1979 Islamic Revolution brought a clerical rule to power in Iran and Egypt offered refuge to the deposed shah. Ahmadinejad's visit to Al-Azhar brought him not far from a grandiose Cairo mosque where the shah - despised by Iran's clerical rulers - is buried.

Relations further deteriorated after Egypt's peace treaty with Israel.

"For the first time, we are witnessing breaking of ice between the two countries," said political analyst Rafaat Sayed Ahmed.

Ultraconservative Islamists known as Salafis, who view Morsi as too pragmatic and compromising but ally with him in the face of secular opposition, see Iran as Sunni Islam's greatest enemy. Salafi clerics often rail against Shiites and Iran in their sermons.

On Tuesday, Egypt's hard-line Daawa Salafiya, which is the foundation of the main Salafi political party Al-Nour, released a statement calling on Morsi to confront Ahmadinejad on Tehran's support for the Syrian regime and make clear that "Egypt is committed to the protection of all Sunni nations."

Egypt-Iran diplomatic overtures have raised concerns among Sunni Gulf nations, who are keeping a close eye on the Iranian leader's visit. The Gulf states accuse Iran of supporting Shiite minorities in the Gulf and harbor concerns about Tehran's disputed nuclear program.

Gulf countries, especially the United Arab Emirates, have made little effort to hide their enmity to the new Egyptian government out of fear the Islamists will export Egypt's revolution to their countries. The UAE has cracked down on Egyptian expatriates for links to Morsi's fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood and has given refuge to former Egyptian regime members.

Morsi and the Brotherhood have sought to ease Gulf concerns, stressing that the security of the Gulf nations - which Egypt has relied upon for financial aid to help prop up its faltering economy - is directly linked to Cairo's own.

Foreign Minister Mohammed Amr Kamel reiterated that on Tuesday, saying "Egypt's relationship with Iran will never come at the expense of Gulf nations."

Morsi's government has presented the moves to improve ties as a policy of greater independence from the United States. He may also have geopolitical considerations: Gulf powerhouses Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are cool to Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and his rule, and several experts said Morsi wants to keep the option of ties with Iran open as an alternative.

Egypt fires more than 600 top police officers

In a purge aimed at appeasing antigovernment protesters, Egyptian authorities fire 669 police officials linked to the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak.

The move comes as parliamentary elections are delayed. Egypt fired more than 600 high-ranking police officers Wednesday in a purge aimed at appeasing thousands of antigovernment protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square amid deepening divisions over wiping away the remnants of former President Hosni Mubarak's regime.

The move came on the same day the military council ruling the country announced that parliamentary elections planned for September would be delayed until October or November. The postponement will help new political parties challenge the more experienced Muslim Brotherhood, which was expected to win at least 25% of the seats in parliament.

Secular parties had pressed for a delay, fearing that a parliament heavily influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood's conservative agenda would threaten human rights and religious tolerance. The Islamist organization's reach may be further diminished by new regulations for choosing the 100-member assembly that will draft a new constitution. The firing of 669 police officers was the biggest reshuffle in the Interior Ministry's history.

It includes 505 brigadier generals, 82 colonels and 37 officers charged in the deaths of hundreds of protesters during the weeks-long revolution that overthrew Mubarak on Feb. 11. The announcement came during the sixth day of demonstrations in Tahrir Square by activists seeking to pressure the interim government to bring Mubarak and members of his regime to justice.

The government and military council fear that the return of tents and banners to the square will further disrupt a nation facing labor strikes, a troubled economy and political unrest. "The firings are to gradually dismantle the police state we used to live in," said Ammar Ali Hassan, head of the Middle East Center for research and political studies.

"Protesters have succeeded in forcing security officials and the police into such changes, despite police efforts to keep the system they had before the Jan. 25 revolution." So far, only one police officer has been found guilty of killing demonstrators last winter. He was sentenced to death. The country is awaiting the trials of Mubarak and former Interior Minister Habib Adli, both of whom have been accused in the deaths of protesters.

More than 1,000 hurt in Egypt clashes

<< A protester takes cover during clashes with riot police in front of the Interior Ministry in Cairo.


A senior official says more than 1,000 people have been hurt in two days of clashes between police and protesters over demands that the country's military rulers speed up the prosecution of police officers accused of killing protesters early this year.

The official Middle East News Agency on Wednesday quoted assistant health minister Abdul-Hameed Abazah as saying that of the injured, some 900 were treated on the spot and more than 120 admitted to hospital.

The violence began Tuesday night in Cairo and was continuing on Wednesday with riot police firing in the air and using tear gas to disperse the protesters, who pelted them with rocks and firebombs.

The violence was reminiscent of the Jan. 25-Feb. 11 uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak. 

Hosni Mubarak detention extended

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak will remain in detention for at least another 15 days, as prosecutors further investigate the former Egyptian president and other high-ranking members of his deposed government, state media reported.


Mubarak and two sons were detained in connection with the deaths of protesters during unrest that led to the president's ouster, an official with Egypt's Justice Ministry said at the time of their detentions.

Prosecutors also have been investigating what properties and bank accounts the Mubaraks have.
Meanwhile, former Tourism Minister Zoheir Garranah has been sentenced to five years in prison for squandering public funds and illegal profiteering, according to Adel Saeed, a prosecutor's spokesman.
Garranah is the latest former government minister to receive a prison sentence in the wake of the demonstrations and Mubarak's resignation.

Last week, Interior Minister Habib El Adly was handed a 12-year prison sentence for corruption. He will face a separate trial on May 21 for his role in the killing of protesters during the unrest.

Former Finance Minister Youssef Boutros Ghali is also charged with squandering public funds. He fled the country on February 12, according to a written statement from the prosecutor's office.

Several other former top government officials are under investigation for corruption, prosecutors say.

Mere steps ahead of an angry Cairo mob

Christians remove objects from a burned church in the working-class neighborhood of Imbaba in Cairo on May 8

"Turn around, don't go" was an ominous warning from residents of Imbaba, a lower-income Cairo neighborhood.

Three freelance journalists and I were responding to a report that 500 Salafists, ultraconservative Muslims, were clashing with Christians near a local church.

Imbaba is a sprawling community, home to more than a million working-class residents living in rundown buildings next to uneven roads.

We entered onto those narrow streets by taxi. We'd end up leaving on foot, running for our lives.

This night, the Salafists claimed to be trying to retrieve a woman locked inside St. Mena Church who converted from Christianity to Islam. In the ensuing clashes, more than 10 people died and more than 100 others were injured.

A certain level of tension has always existed between parts of Egypt's Muslim and Christian communities. Tonight, we were witnessing a culmination of those tensions.

During the revolution, crowds quickly and violently turned on journalists; most notable was the savage assault of CBS correspondent Lara Logan in Tahrir Square in February. This incident highlighted the new dangers foreign journalists face while reporting in Egypt since state TV blamed foreigners during the revolution for the country's problems.

As we arrived within a couple hundred yards of the church, now deep inside the neighborhood, we saw a large crowd of men and young boys milling around in the street leading to the church.

To avoid a repeat of such attacks against journalists, we heeded locals' warnings, which came in the form of helpful advice from some and overt threats by others to stay put. We kept our cameras in our bags to avoid attracting even more attention, and stopped at a small cafe to survey the scene from a distance.

There was the sound of occasional gunfire and the smell of smoke filling the air, while we debated whether to advance. A convoy of large, green police vehicles and ambulances gave a glimmer of hope that some security would be restored, in turn making it safe to report. But as we stepped back onto the street, some in the crowd started to grow hostile to our presence as both journalists and foreigners.

We decided not to advance any farther and turned around to leave. We walked quickly from the scene. This is when some in the crowd began to turn on us.

One man started screaming "get out," attracting uninvited attention. A couple of men grabbed two of the reporters' bags. We eventually broke free and quickly moved down the street.

Fortunately, a few locals came to our rescue, escorting us out of the area. Their kindness might have saved our lives.

We were ushered into a tuk-tuk, a small, three-wheeled motorbike taxi, and despite the mob surrounding us, we were able to drive away. Two local men hung onto the side, protecting us from the surging crowd.

We hurtled down the street as rocks pelted the back of our vehicle. It seemed as though we'd escaped. We made it to a busier road, still miles from safety, when the situation got worse.

Another mob formed, this time stealing a colleague's camera. After breaking free, we ran down the street in a dead sprint. Gunfire rang out again. We weren't sure where it was coming from or where it was directed, but it didn't matter. Our hope of escaping unharmed was dwindling.

During the ruckus, one of the other journalists went missing. With the angry pack gaining ground, another decided to go back and look for him. The mob had grown larger and louder with some wielding sticks and knives. Seeing them approaching and the sound of gunfire once again ringing out, the remaining journalist and I again started sprinting down the street.

With the wall of people gaining ground, the thought of dying crossed our minds, as we frantically searched for an empty taxi. Finally, we jumped onto an empty microbus, offering the man 100 Egyptian pounds, roughly $17, to speed away.

In the microbus, we took stock of the situation: Two of our colleagues were now missing. We feared the worst.

The bus driver, sensing our desperation, demanded the money up front, or he wouldn't drive any farther. I gave him 50 pounds on the spot and promised him the rest when the ride was over -- but he eventually stopped again and refused to go any farther.

Leaving the bus, we finally found a taxi and made a break for safety. We contacted the U.S. Embassy to report the missing journalists, but as it turned out, they also had escaped. Fortunately, they would reappear later.

One actually ran out ahead of us and made it to safety sooner. Another ducked into a side street, as the mob pursued the fourth journalist and myself. It turns out we'd been the decoys.

This incident shows how the reporting scene in Cairo has changed during Egypt's political transition. Before the revolution, reporters had to dodge the authorities. Now we dodge angry mobs as Egypt tries to restore stability.

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At least 10 killed, 186 wounded in clashes at Cairo...

At least 10 killed, 186 wounded in clashes at Cairo church

Egyptians gather as firefighters extinguish a blaze at a church following clashes at another church between Muslims and Christians in Cairo on Sunday.

At least 10 people were killed and 186 wounded in sectarian clashes outside a Cairo church, an incident officials say began over rumors that a Christian woman who converted to Islam was being held there against her will.

Egypt's Prime Minister Essam Sharaf postponed a trip to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, calling an emergency Cabinet meeting Sunday to discuss the church attack, according to egynews, Egypt's official new agency.

Tensions between Egypt's Muslim majority and its Coptic Christian minority have been on the rise in recent months, with a number of violent clashes reported between the two groups.

During the clashes Saturday, witnesses said an armed group of Muslims marched on Saint Mena Coptic Orthodox Church, one of the oldest churches in Egypt.

Witnesses said Muslims and Christians exchanged gunfire, sending people running for cover.

"With my own eyes I saw three people killed and dozens injured," said Mina Adel, a Christian resident.

"There's no security here. There's a big problem. People attacked us, and we have to protect ourselves."

Egyptian State TV said that 10 people died and 186 were wounded in the violence.

There were conflicting reports about who attacked the church.

Some witnesses said the group was made up of Muslim fundamentalists, known as Salafists. Others, including the ministry spokesman, said it was angry Muslims from a nearby mosque.

Mahmoud said the clashes were sparked by reports of a Christian woman who married a Muslim man and was allegedly being held inside the church.

Military, including special forces and riot police were called in to try to break up the violence, firing warning shots in the air, according to witnesses.

At the same time, at the nearby Coptic Church of the Holy Virgin, firefighters responded to a blaze that witnesses said appeared to have been started by the members of the same group that attacked the other church.

Hundreds of residents stood outside as it burned and two men were seen jumping from a window of the building, according to witnesses.

Across the street, residents standing outside the Al Wehda mosque blamed "thugs" for the violence.

"It was thugs who burned the church, not Salafists (fundamentalists)," said Jamal El Banan. "We never had such sedition before the revolution."

A Coptic church in the town of Alexandria was bombed on New Year's Day, killing 23 people -- the deadliest attack on Christians in Egypt in recent times.

Ten days later, a gunman killed a Christian man and wounded five others on a train in Egypt.

In November, a group with ties to al Qaeda in Iraq announced that all Christians in the Middle East would be "legitimate targets," as the group's deadline for Egypt's Coptic church to release alleged Muslim female prisoners expired.

The group's claim that the Coptic Church in Egypt is holding female prisoners is based on widespread rumors of Coptic women in Egypt converting to Islam and being detained by the church in an attempt to compel or persuade them to return to their original faith.

About 9% of Egypt's 80 million residents are Coptic Christians. They base their theology on the teachings of the Apostle Mark, who introduced Christianity to Egypt, according to St. Takla Church in Alexandria, the capital of Coptic Christianity.

The religion split with other Christians in the 5th century over the definition of the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Mubarak guilty of killing 850 protesters

The noose around Egypt's ousted ailing President Hosni Mubarak appeared to be tightening with a government fact finding mission, in damning strictures holding him responsible for use of live ammunition to break up three week long popular uprising in which it said 850 people were killed.

The report by a panel of judges on Wednesday said the police forces fired directly at the protesters aiming for "head and chest" and later armoured vehicles were ordered to run them over and the authorization for this brutal use of force could be traced ultimately to Mubarak himself.

The report made public put the death toll in the three week long uprising that toppled long serving Mubarak and electrified the region at least 850, more than twice that of previous official estimates banded about by Mubarak associates.

With the judges pointing an accusing finger at Mubarak himself, the toppled President, currently in detention in a military hospital after complaints of heart trouble could face execution or life in jail according to the state media.

Zakaria Shalash, head of the Cairo's Appeal's Court was quoted by official al-Ahram newspaper as saying that Mubarak may face execution after a trial, if he is found guilty of ordering killings of protesters during the January popular uprising. The judge said, that such a trial could be last upto a year.

Mubarak and his two sons are facing investigations on charges of corruption and abuse of power.

Egyptian resort town to Mubarak: Get out

Egypt's renowned resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh that attracts millions of tourists from around the world is growing tired of its most famous guest: Hosni Mubarak.

The ousted president, say residents, is bad for business.
"We want him to leave," said Ahmed Fahmy, a construction worker who lives here. "He has created a lot of problems and affected tourism. Tourism is dead now."

Added Mohamed Nasr, who runs a limousine service: "Everbody wants" Mubarak to leave. "Tourism now is no good ... My business is nothing now."

Fahmy spoke across the street from Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital, where Mubarak has been staying under heavy police protection since prosecutors began questioning him on Tuesday.
The sight of helmeted riot police forming a human chain of black uniforms around the perimeter of the pyramid-shaped hospital, contrasted sharply with the palm trees, souvenir shops and sun-burned European tourists who wander past, staring curiously at them.

This week, Egypt's general prosecutor officially detained Mubarak for 15 days in connection with the deaths of hundreds of activists during the street protests that toppled him from power on February 11. His two sons, Gamal and Alaa, were transferred to Cairo's Tora prison this week.
Egypt's revolution succeeded in toppling a once-untouchable dictator. But it has also crippled the country's vital tourism industry, which according to some conservative estimates, accounts for 10% of the Egyptian economy.

Sharm el-Sheikh, an international scuba-diving and nightclubbing mecca that normally welcomes an estimated 5 million tourists a year, has been particularly hit hard.
The beaches in "Sharm," as locals affectionately call it, are all but deserted. The once bustling harbor in Namma Bay is mostly quiet, except for the occasional motorboat puttering past pulling squealing tourists riding inner-tubes.

Hotel operators estimated they were below 30% capacity at what is normally the peak tourist season.
"You need to be at 35% just to break even," said Mohamed Abbas, manager of the Iberotel Lido Hotel. In the last half of February, the hotel was at 6% to 8% capacity.

Abbas estimated the current free-fall in tourism receipts is worse than decline after three deadly bombings in Egypt's Sinai in 2004, and after a series of shark attacks last November.
British tourist Jane Dixon said she didn't think twice about bring her teenage son and daughter to Sharm el-Sheikh.

"Its no different from the possible threat in London," she said, sitting in a rooftop swimming pool with a view of the Red Sea.
"You're just as likely to get blown up riding the Tube," she added, referring to London's subway system.

Still, the political instability gripping Cairo kept Dixon from visiting the pyramids.
Her 15-year-old son, Josh, was surprised to see the cordon of riot police outside of the Sharm el-Sheikh's hospital.
"It was pretty cool," he said. "I didn't know the president was staying there. There are scary guards all over the place. So I feel pretty safe."

Asked why tourists stopped coming, hotel and nightclub operator Adly El Mestekawy had one simple answer: the revolution.
"For the first time in the history of Egypt for 7,000 years a pharaoh is being investigated. His whole family is being investigated," Mestekawy said.

But Mestekawy, who says he opened the first grocery store and hotel in Sharm el-Sheikh when it was little more than a desert campground in the 1980s, hopes Egypt's largely peaceful revolution will pay off in the long run.

"Egypt is no longer enslaved. Egypt is free and open to the world through peaceful means," he said. "This will bring tourists back in large numbers and this is what the country needs."
Egypt still has a long way to go before its security forces embrace transparency.

Secret police accosted a CNN camera-man as he was filming a sunset over the Red Sea on Friday. Without showing any identification, the plain-clothed officers tried to confiscate the camera before finally being convinced no state secrets had been filmed.
Not far away, workers outside a souvenir shop called out an often-repeated motto to passing tourists.
"Welcome to Egypt," they said.

Mubarak and sons held for questioning

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and two of his sons were detained by the authorities as they investigated the killing of protesters during the popular uprising that led to the toppling of the government two months ago.

As the news spread quickly across the country, Egyptians were pleased, if not downright celebratory.

Mubarak and his sons Gamal and Alaa have been detained for 15 days in connection to the killing of protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square, according to Ahmed Hemeida with the Justice Ministry. The square was a popular gathering spot for those opposed to the Mubarak government.

The younger Mubaraks have been transferred to Cairo's Tora Prison, Hemeida said.

The developments came a day after the former president was admitted to a hospital after complaining to his doctor that he felt unwell, according to a spokesman for the Egyptian military.

The story dominated discussion in Egypt on Wednesday.

One smiling taxi driver stopped in Cairo traffic, crossed his wrists in front of himself as if he was handcuffed and yelled "Mubarak 'cuffed!'" in Arabic to strangers.

There are conflicting reports about Mubarak's whereabouts.

Mubarak remained at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital and is in "unstable" condition, the state-run MENA news agency reported Wednesday, citing a medical source.

But Alla Mahmood, an Interior Ministry spokesman, told that Mubarak was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Cairo Wednesday.

State TV reported that Mubarak is suffering from a "nervous breakdown" and might be transferred to a hospital in Cairo.

Egyptian state television reported Mubarak suffered a heart attack during questioning over possible corruption charges. Justice Minister Mohammed Abdul Aziz Al-Gindi said the prosecutor's office had started its investigation of the former president, the official Egyptian news agency reported

Egypt's health minister, Ashraf Hatem, later said that Mubarak's condition was stable enough to allow prosecutors to resume questioning at the hospital, according to the state-owned Al Ahram newspaper.

Mubarak and his family are believed to have been living on his estate in the Red Sea resort since February 11, when he stepped down and handed power to the military.

The hospitalization comes two days after Egypt's chief prosecutor summoned Mubarak for questioning on corruption charges. Mubarak immediately decried the accusations, saying the probe is aimed at tarnishing his reputation and that of his family.

In a brief audio message aired Sunday, Mubarak promised he and his family would account for everything they own. He said he agreed to allow the prosecutor to contact governments around the world to take "proper legal steps" to reveal whether he or his family own any property or real estate outside Egypt.

Mubarak was brought to Cairo for questioning last month, and Egypt's attorney general issued an order to freeze the assets of Mubarak and his family, and prohibited them from leaving the country.

Mubarak had back surgery in Germany in 2004 and returned there in 2010 to have his gall bladder removed. He had largely withdrawn from public view in recent years, until this year's uprising prompted him to make televised speeches.

Mubarak ruled Egypt for nearly three decades. His regime was toppled by a groundswell of popular protests that began January 25.

Former Egyptian President Mubarak in hospital

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was admitted to a hospital on Tuesday after complaining to his doctor that he felt unwell, according to a spokesman for the Egyptian military.
A military source said Mubarak's condition was stable, not critical, and that his wife and elder son were with him.

Egyptian state television reported Mubarak suffered a heart attack during questioning over possible corruption charges. When contacted by CNN, however, the prosecutor's office denied any reports Mubarak had been questioned by authorities Tuesday.
Egypt's health minister, Ashraf Hatem, later said that Mubarak's condition was stable enough to allow prosecutors to resume questioning at the hospital, according to the state-owned Al Ahram newspaper.
Mubarak was hospitalized at Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital, state media reported. He and his family are believed to have been living on his estate in the Red Sea resort since February 11, when he stepped down and handed power to the military.
The hospitalization comes two days after Egypt's chief prosecutor summoned Mubarak for questioning on corruption charges. Mubarak immediately decried the accusations, saying the probe is aimed at tarnishing his reputation and that of his family.
In a brief audio message aired Sunday, Mubarak promised he and his family would account for everything they own. He said he agreed to allow the prosecutor to contact governments around the world to take "proper legal steps" to reveal whether he or his family own any property or real estate outside Egypt.
Mubarak was brought to Cairo for questioning last month, and Egypt's attorney general issued an order to freeze the assets of Mubarak and his family, and prohibited them from leaving the country.
Mubarak had back surgery in Germany in 2004, and returned there in 2010 to have his gall bladder removed. He had largely withdrawn from public view in recent years, until this year's uprising prompted him to make televised speeches.
Mubarak ruled Egypt for nearly three decades, his regime was toppled by a groundswell of popular protests that began January 25.

Probes gain momentum as Mubarak claims innocence

The president's men keep falling. Day after day, Egyptians wake up to news that yet another former official from Hosni Mubarak's government has been arrested on charges of corruption and abuse of power. His prime minister. His chief of staff. His ministers of tourism and housing.
During a recent court appearance, onlookers yelled "thief" at Ahmed Ezz and Ahmed el Maghrabi. The two former high-ranking Mubarak officials sat behind bars, dressed in white prison uniforms.
But to some Egyptians, that just isn't enough.

"All of these ministers you see, it is nothing!" bellows Talat Sadat, a former law-maker who was sentenced to prison in 2006 for publicly accusing Mubarak of playing a role in the assassination of his uncle Anwar Sadat. "The revolution wants the president himself! Wants his wife! His son!"
Last Friday, the revolution was back in Tahrir Square. Tens of thousands of Egyptians turned out for what may have been one of the biggest rallies since the 18 heady days of street protests that toppled Mubarak on February 11. The crowd was baying for the head of their former president.

"Of course we want Mubarak himself," said Asser Hussain, a young demonstrator who shuttled back and forth on one of the stages in the square, handing the microphone to one revolutionary speaker after another. "When you make a revolution you have to remove the head of corruption," he added.
Angry demonstrators accused Egypt's ruling military council, which assumed government powers upon Mubarak's resignation, of protecting the former president from prosecution. Mubarak and his family are believed to have been living on his estate in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh since February 11.

Two days after the protest, Mubarak broke his silence for the first time since his humiliating resignation.

In an audio statement released to the Al Arabiya network, he denied accusations that he and his sons had abused their positions to accumulate vast wealth which has allegedly been hidden in overseas accounts.

"I don't have any accounts outside of Egypt," Mubarak said, apparently reading from a prepared text. "The Egyptian people can be sure that their previous president only has one account inside the country in an Egyptian bank."

Within hours, Egypt's prosecutor general released a statement, assuring the public that Mubarak's denials would have no impact on his ongoing investigation into the former ruling family.
The Justice Ministry is investigating the Mubarak family's links to deadly attacks on protesters during the revolution that began on January 25. It is also looking at "issues revolving around the seizure of public finances and abuse of power to acquire commissions and benefits from different business deals."

The prosecutor's office also upped the ante, announcing it had issued a formal request for "the former president and his sons to submit to questioning."
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo recently confirmed that the U.S. government is cooperating with the Egyptian government in the search for alleged Mubarak assets hidden in the United States.
Meanwhile, Egyptian volunteers are lining up to help government investigators.
Amir Marghani recently joined what could be described as a volunteer posse of lawyers and judges determined to track down the former ruling family's money.
Calling themselves the "Egyptian Legal Committee for the Reimbursement of Egyptian Wealth," the group is trying to make sense of what it claims is Mubarak's complicated network of shell companies and offshore accounts hidden in tax havens overseas.
Marghani says while practicing corporate law in Egypt over the past 15 years, he personally witnessed the Mubarak family's abuse of power.

"A member of the ruling family wanted to assume chairmanship of a company I advise," the lawyer said. "And when the chairman would not step down, he sent certain government agencies to raid the company, confiscate documents and put the guy under investigation for seven months."
Marghani claims these mafia-like tactics crippled business growth.

"That's why many businessmen in Egypt would always want to stay below the radar, stay below a certain turn-over," Marghani added. "I don't want to employ 2,000 people, [because then] people will start to look my way and if they look my way they'll force themselves on to my business."
"In Egypt you are innocent until proven guilty," responds lawyer Samir al Shishtawi. On March 7, he says Hosni Mubarak personally called and asked Shishtawi to provide legal representation.
When Shishtawi announced this on Egyptian television, he says was flooded by death threats.
"I received threatening phone calls from many parties," Shishtawi said in an interview with CNN. "My relatives from all across Egypt came down to set-up neighborhood watches around my house to protect me."

Shishtawi says he has since been replaced by a team of lawyers from England. But he still defends the former president, pointing out Mubarak has yet to be formally charged with any crime.
If one day Mubarak or his controversial eldest son, Gamal, are ever brought to trial, even their critics fear they may not be treated fairly.
"We have a very bad grudge against those people," admits Marghany, the member of the committee investigating Mubarak family wealth. "Right now a fair trial would be very difficult ...but he should get a fair trial."

Even the men guarding the president's men seem to have little sympathy for them.
During a visit to Cairo's infamous Tora Prison, an army captain confirmed Mubarak's former prime minister Ahmed Nazif, was one of the jail's newest residents.

Army crackdown in Egypt

Egypt's army has cracked down on protests in Cairo's symbolic Tahrir Square, leaving at least one person dead and dozens injured.

The violence occurred overnight as the army tried to clear protesters calling for ex-President Hosni Mubarak and his family to be tried for corruption.

The injured suffered gunshot wounds but the army denies using live rounds.

Tahrir Square became the symbolic centre of protests that led to Mr Mubarak stepping down this year.

Egypt's health ministry has so far confirmed that one person died overnight and says 71 people were hurt.

Medical sources told news agencies that at least two people had died.

Protesters have now returned to the square following the army withdrawal and are continuing demonstrations.

In an apparent concession to the protesters the ruling military council announced on Saturday that it would replace a number of provincial governors appointed by Mr Mubarak - another demand of the demonstrators.

However, the army also said it was "ready" to use force to clear the square and allow normal life to resume.

"Tahrir Square will be emptied of protesters with firmness and force to ensure life goes back to normal," Major General Adel Emarah, of the military council, told a news conference.

'Tantawi is Mubarak'

The army had maintained a generally neutral role in the earlier mass demonstrations.

But about 300 troops moved into the square at about 0300 local time (0100 GMT) on Saturday to break up a camp in the centre.

Protesters say they were beaten with clubs and shots were fired.

An army spokesman told Reuters news agency that only blanks were used.

The military issued a statement blaming "outlaws" for rioting and violating a curfew but said no-one was hurt.

"The armed forces stress that they will not tolerate any acts of rioting or any act that harms the interest of the country and the people," it said.

The military denied any arrests had been made but protesters said several demonstrators had been dragged away into vans.

Three vehicles, two of them military, were set on fire during the unrest.

The protesters were demanding a number of measures, including the resignation of the man who has replaced Mr Mubarak as interim leader, Field Marshal Mohamad Hussein Tantawi.

"Tantawi is Mubarak and Mubarak is Tantawi," they chanted.

The military force finally withdrew and protesters began to reoccupy the square in daylight.

It was filled with broken glass and debris from the clashes.

The violence came after a huge protest in the square on Friday.

Hundreds of thousands demanded the prosecution of Mr Mubarak for corruption.

Mass protests ousted Mr Mubarak on 11 February but many believe the military figures now overseeing political transition are protecting him.