Egypt's Mubarak has stroke, hospital transfer likely

CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt's ex-president Hosni Mubarak has suffered a stroke and been defibrillated in prison and will likely be moved to hospital soon if his condition continues to worsen, state news agency MENA said Tuesday.

The agency said Mubarak had suffered a stroke, but did not lose consciousness. Earlier it reported that Mubarak's "heart stopped and he was treated with a defibrillator."

"Sources said he was likely to moved to a military hospital within hours if his health continued to deteriorate," MENA said.

A senior interior ministry official told AFP that the ousted dictator's health had sharply deteriorated in the past few hours and that he would be transferred if doctors at the prison were unable to treat him.

"We have not taken a decision yet," he said.

The 84-year-old former strongman was sentenced to life behind bars on June 2 for suppressing a revolt against his rule in early 2011 during which nearly 850 protesters were killed.

His medical condition deteriorated after the verdict and he suffered an emotional breakdown after being moved to an intensive care wing in Cairo's Tora prison.

Doctors treated him with a defibrillator twice on June 11, according to a prison hospital source.

He has suffered from acute depression since his transfer, as well as periodic increases in blood pressure and shortness of breath, interior ministry officials said.