Hosni Mubarak on his caged bed in court
The ailing former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, lies on a stretcher inside a cage in a courtroom in Cairo earlier this year. Reuters

Former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak has experienced increasingly severe health problems since he was sentenced to life in prison on Saturday, reports a state-run news outlet. He may now be moved out of jail and into a hospital.

Mubarak was taken to Tora Prison in Cairo after he was sentenced on Saturday for his involvement in the killing of protesters during the 2011 revolt that led to his ouster. Due to his existing health problems, Mubarak was delivered to the intensive care unit of a medical facility within the prison.

On Wednesday, Egypt's publicly funded Middle East News Agency (MENA) revealed that Mubarak has experienced a nervous breakdown, breathing problems and several heart attacks. A respirator has reportedly been used at least five times. Medical specialists were called in, and MENA reported that official sources saw as likely the possibility of his transfer to a military hospital ... based on a medical recommendation from the doctors treating him.

On the streets of Cairo, there is some suspicion surrounding these announcements. Some worry that Mubarak's health problems is little more than a pretext for him to evade his jail sentence.

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