Cairo: Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s fourth and longest-serving president, has died at the age of 91 after undergoing treatment in an intensive care unit following surgery, the media reported.
Mubarak who had ruled Egypt for 30 years before he was overthrown in 2011 mass protests has passed away in Cairo’s Galaa military hospital, Xinhua reported.
Egyptian presidency has mourned the death of Mubarak for his services to the homeland as “a hero of the October 1973 war” and offered condolences to his family.
“Mubarak was commander of the Air Forces during the war that restored dignity and pride to the Arab nation,” the presidency added in a statement. It announced a nation-wide three days of mourning.
His older son Alaa posted on Twitter his father speech on February 1, 2011 that said: “This dear nation is where I lived, I fought for it and defended its soil, sovereignty and interests. On its soil I will die. History will judge me like it did others.”
Born in 1928 in Munofiya province in the Nile River Delta, Mubarak graduated from the Air Force Academy and worked as its director for three years.
He was appointed by then President Anwar Sadat as Air Force Commander in 1972. Later, he was awarded by the late president for his accomplishments during the Arab-Israeli war.
Mubarak won three elections, but for his fourth contest in 2005, he changed the system to allow rival candidates after pressure of some western countries over concerns of applying democracy.
He was convicted in 2015 along with his two sons of diverting public funds and using the money to upgrade family properties. They were sentenced to three years in jail.
In March 2017, Egypt’s top court upheld Mubarak acquittal and he went free, for the first time in six years.
