Egypt's Mubarak May Have Cancer

The Associated Press reports:

Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak may have cancer, his defense lawyer said Monday, two months ahead of the former leader's trial for allegedly ordering the killing of anti-government protesters.

Mubarak, who was ousted on Feb. 11 after 18 days of mass protests, has been hospitalized with heart troubles since April in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. He is scheduled to go on trial Aug. 3 on charges of ordering the killing of protesters during the demonstrations. If convicted, he could be sentenced to death.

The ex-president's lawyer, Farid el-Deeb, said Mubarak underwent "critical surgery" in Heidelberg, Germany, last year to remove his gallbladder and part of his pancreas, which were cancerous.

"There is evidence suggesting that there is a recurrence of cancer and that it has reached the stomach," said el-Deeb told The Associated Press. He called Mubarak's condition "horrible," and said the former leader "doesn't eat and he loses conscious quite often."

The former president's health is a highly politicized issue in Egypt, and Mubarak's prosecution has been complicated by concerns over his health.