Security source: Mubarak not dead but health deteriorating

Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak Cairo – Akram Ali A security source has denied reports about the death of Egypt\'s ousted president Hosni Mubarak in the hospital of Tora Prison, where Mubarak was transferred recently after being sentenced to 25 years in jail, for his responsibility in the killing hundreds of protesters during the people\'s uprising against his regime, in January 2011.
A circulated rumour on Saturday evening said that Mubarak was already dead. The political activist and member of the Egyptian Democratic Social Party, Tareq al-Awadi, said via his account on Twitter, that the news about Mubarak\'s death is confirmed, and it will be announced in a few hours.
Mubarak suffered a sudden health crisis upon his arrival in Tora prison,  a few hours after the court session in which he was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in jail, along with his interior minister, Habib al-Adly, while other six security leaders, along with Mubarak\'s sons, Alaa and Gamal, were all acquitted.  
The source in Tora prison hospital had earlier told Arabstoday that the status of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was stable, noting that his son Gamal is with him and that Mubarak requested specific food from the prison cafeteria.
Speaking to Arabstoday, the security source asserted that Mubarak is still alive, but revealed that his health condition is on a continuous decline.
The medical team assigned to follow up on Mubarak\'s health revealed he is threatened by a clot in the brain which may happen to him at any time.
The source affirmed that Mubarak is suffering respiratory distress due to an irregular heart rate, so he is now using a respirator, adding that the decision to transfer the former president to a military hospital was at the request of the prison services.
Mubarak has asked his family to bury him beside his grandson who died about three years ago.
Security sources said that Mubarak expressed his dissatisfaction with the medical team supervising his case, and told the prison management that they were unable to take care of him as they did not know his medical history. He also alleged that the hospital was not as well established as the International Medical Centre. Sources however said his morale rose a little after he was visited by a number of his former associates after Friday prayers, including Fathi Sorour, Safwat el-Sherif, Zakaria Azmi, Atef Ebeid, Ahmed Nazif and his son Alaa. Mohamed Ibrahim Soliman, the former housing minister, is said to have stayed with Mubarak for a considerable amount of time as he too had been admitted to the  hospital.  Habib el-Adly, the former interior minister visited Mubarak’s room twice while he was in hospital to follow up on surgery he had undergone, according to the sources.
The head of the volunteer defence team, Yousri Abdel-Razek said that he would sue the interior minister for not transferring Mubarak to another hospital after his health began to fail, dubbing it “an assassination attempt,” as the hospital is apparently incapable of treating him and following up on his case. He said in a press statement that hospital management and the prison services had sent a report to the Attorney General recommending Mubarak be transferred to another hospital citing inadequate facilities.
Meanwhile around 200 Mubarak supporters on Saturday began a protest which they said would continue  until the deposed leader is transferred from prison to hospital.
“There are around 200 Mubarak’s supporters and lawyers in front of the Prisons Authority and we will not leave until Mubarak is transferred to either a military or private hospital,” said Mohamed Abdel Razek, one of Mubarak’s lawyers.
Abdel Razek said the general prosecutor had told him there was “no barrier” to his request to move Mubarak from the hospital wing of Cairo’s Tora prison but that the decision had to be taken by the Prisons\' Authority.
\"The Interior Ministry insists that Mubarak be kept in the prison\'s hospital despite his critical health condition, which is one of his legal rights, but it seems like they are dealing with his case in a vengeful way,\" said Mohammed Hussein, one of the protesters.
He added that the group will send letters to the Amnesty International Organisation about this case, as demands for Egypt\'s Interior Minister to be prosecuted for failing to apply subject number 37 from the Jails Administration regulations, which states the prisoner should be moved to a better-equipped hospital outside of the prison in cases where the health condition of the person concerned requires that.
Another protester, Soha Haggag, told Arabstoday: \"I call on both the Attorney General and the Interior Minister to implement \"God\'s law\" rather than the \"people\'s law\". Mubarak was this country\'s president and leader, he is also an aging man, and one of the heroes of the 1973 war.\"
Haggag said that  the support group \"Sons of Mubarak\" were informed that the Attorney General has issued a decree to transfer Mubarak to another hospital, but the decree was ignored.
Sons of Mubarak had earlier sent a proposal to the ruling military council, offering to pay for  Mubarak\'s treatment in any  hospital other than Tora\'s prison hospital.