Hosni Mubarak was in a coma on Wednesday but off life support, and his heart and other vital organs were functioning, according to security officials.

Overnight, state media reported that the 84-year-old former president, ousted in last year's uprising and now serving a life sentence in prison, suffered a stroke and was put on life support. He was transferred to a military hospital from the Cairo prison hospital where he has been kept since his June 2 conviction and sentencing for failing to stop the killing of protesters during the uprising.

His wife Suzanne was by his side in the Nile-side hospital in Maadi, a suburb just south of Cairo. The security officials said a team of 15 doctors, including heart, blood and brain specialists, was supervising the condition of Mubarak, who needed help with his breathing. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Mubarak's health scare comes at a time of heightened tension in Egypt. Both candidates in a fiercely contested presidential runoff held last weekend are claiming victory. At the same time, the ruling military council that took over from Mubarak moved to tighten its grip on power a little more than a week before they were supposed to transfer complete authority to an elected civilian administration.

The ruling generals stripped the next president of many of his powers in a declaration made just as polls closed in the runoff late on Sunday night. With the decree, they gave themselves control over the drafting of a new constitution and declared themselves the country's legislative power after a court last week dissolved the Islamist-dominated parliament which was freely elected about six months earlier.

The runoff pitted Mubarak's last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq against conservative Islamist Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. The contest divided the country, and their rival claims of victory could bring more of the turmoil that has rocked the country since Mubarak's ouster.

Worsening situation

Egypt's official MENA news agency had earlier quoted medical sources as saying that his "heart stopped beating and he was defibrillated many times but he had not responded".

Prison sources said that the 84-year-old has suffered from shortness of breath and severe depression.

The Egyptian people have conflicting feelings toward Mubarak, who was ousted in February 2011.

Dozens of supporters showed up at the gate of the hospital. Some held photos of Mubarak while others prayed for him.

"He is a hero of Egypt. He deserves our respect," said a middle-aged woman. But she was sharply interrupted by a young man who called her a liar. "He should be hanged, Mubarak betrayed his people," the man shouted.

Police in plain clothes appeared and dragged out the young man before the argument could escalate.

Mubarak's health concerns added more uncertainty to the country's situation as the rally on Tahrir Square fueled fresh instability ahead of the official announcement of the presidential winner scheduled on Thursday.

Both Mohammed Morsi and Ahmed Shafiq claimed victory on Tuesday in last weekend's presidential election.

AP-Xinhua

(China Daily 06/21/2012 page11)