Mubarak admitted to a hospital

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was hospitalized in a Red Sea resort after suffering heart problems during questioning by prosecutors about allegations of corruption and abuse of power stemming from his nearly 30-year rule, state news media reported.

“Hosni Mubarak went into intensive care at the Sharm el Sheik International Hospital with heart problems,” the official MENA news agency said. Authorities said Mubarak was accompanied by his sons, Alaa and Gamal.

Egypt’s prosecutor general later announced a 15-day detention for Mubarak, as well as his sons, the Associated Press reported.

MENA, quoting a hospital manager, reported that the ousted president’s condition had stabilized and that he “can be interrogated.” State TV said Mubarak refused to eat or drink Tuesday morning after he was informed that he and his sons would be questioned.

Mubarak, 82, has been in ill health for more than a year. State news media indicated, however, that the hospital visit may have been a ploy to escape his legal problems.

Mubarak and his sons were summoned by Egypt’s attorney general for questioning on charges of illegal gains and violence against protesters during a popular uprising that started Jan. 25 and resulted in Mubarak’s resignation Feb. 11.

Mubarak was admitted to the hospital “with the pretext of illness to avoid appearing before interrogation authorities,” the state-run newspaper Al Ahram reported. He and son Gamal, a former ruling party official, have been accused by opponents of enriching themselves through private and government connections.

In a recorded address to the nation aired Sunday by Al Arabiya, the elder Mubarak denied that he held bank accounts or properties outside Egypt. News reports on investigations of the Mubarak family’s financial dealings have fascinated and angered a country attempting to move beyond his repressive tenure.

Since his ouster and a government takeover by a military council, Mubarak has been living in his private palace in Sharm el Sheik. The attorney general has frozen his assets and barred his family members from leaving the country.

Concern about Mubarak’s health increased after he underwent gallbladder surgery a year ago.

jeffrey.fleishman@latimes.com