UPDATED (11:15 p.m.): There are conflicting reports of Mubarak's death. Al Jazeera is now claiming that he is on life support. His Wikipedia page has been re-updated.
ORIGINAL: Egypt's state news agency is reporting that Hosni Mubarak died Tuesday evening at the age of 84.
Mubarak suffered a stroke earlier Tuesday while in prison, during which his heart had to be restarted with a defibulator. He was transfered to a military hospital that happened to contain some historical resonance:
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.
The news comes just two weeks after Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison for his role in suppressing last year's Arab Spring protests, in which numerous unarmed protestors were killed over 18 days of anti-government demonstrations. Mubarak was eventually deposed after an almost thirty-year reign, the highest ranking leader of the Arab Spring yet to fall, and the first to be imprisoned by his own people, as opposed to this. His conviction led to more protests, as many felt that he had received a verdict that could be easily overturned (and still could, for his ministers who received similar convictions).
Egypt's recent elections have created a contentious situation in the country, with the Muslim Brotherhood claiming victory and the military reluctant to cede its temporary power.
Mubarak's Wikipedia page has already been updated.
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