Egypt appeals court acquits Mubarak over protester killings

Cairo (AFP) - Egypt's top appeals court on Thursday acquitted ex-president Hosni Mubarak of involvement in the killing of protesters during the 2011 revolt that ended his three-decade reign, a judicial official said.

Mubarak had been sentenced to life in 2012 but an appeals court ordered a retrial, which dismissed the charges two years later.

Thursday's ruling by the Court of Cassation is final.

The trial was Mubarak's final one, after prosecutors levelled various charges against him following his February 2011 resignation.

He was accused of inciting the deaths of protesters during the 18-day revolt, in which about 850 people were killed as police clashed with demonstrators.

Mubarak, 88, has spent most of his time in a military hospital since his arrest in 2011.

In January 2016, the appeals court had upheld a three-year prison sentence for Mubarak and his two sons on corruption charges.

But the sentence took into account time served. Both his sons, Alaa and Gamal, were freed.