english news-Egypt's Mubarak leaves prison

CAIRO: Egypt's ousted president Hosni Mubarak was flown from prison by helicopter to a military hospital Thursday after he was cleared for conditional release while standing trial, an interior ministry general told AFP.

Mubarak will be held under house arrest at the Cairo hospital on the orders of the prime minister, who has been granted the power to order arrests during the current state of emergency.

Live television footage showed the medical helicopter that took Mubarak from Cairo's Tora prison arrive at a nearby military hospital.

Mubarak, 85, is believed to be suffering from a heart condition.

Mubarak was cleared for conditional release after his lawyer argued his detention had exceeded the limit of pre-verdict imprisonment, and Mubarak had paid back the money involved in one of his corruption cases.

His next hearing is set for Sunday, on charges of corruption and complicity in the deaths of protesters during the 18-day uprising that overthrew him in early 2011.

- AFP