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Israel-Palestine
EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK DEAD???
2004-06-16
Unconfirmed reports by multiple posters on multiple Arabic language message boards claim that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has died.

The reports indicate that Mubarak's health took a turn for the worse late last night, and he was rushed to a Cairo hospital. According to the report, the Egyptian government is expected to not release news of the death until an orderly succession can be ensured.
Nothing at Drudge, Fox, BBC or AP at 10:12 CDT.
Posted by:Dutchgeek

#33  "Sung by Kim Carnes in the 1980s"

I was ther ein the 80's. It was the Bangles, not Kim Karnes. Suzanne Hoff (I think that's her name) was a hot number (their lead singer).
Posted by: OldSpook   2004-06-16 11:29:16 PM  

#32  How could they tell?
Posted by: Mr. Davis   2004-06-16 10:34:48 PM  

#31  20:53 Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak holds talks with CIA director, quashing rumors of illness
Mubarak - "I feel happy! I feel hap..."
Posted by: Scott   2004-06-16 8:03:16 PM  

#30   Laurence of the Rats---We've got ourselves a loop!
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2004-06-16 6:13:46 PM  

#29  Egyptian Presidency Link

The above link is Mubarak's website.
It is quiet, although not updated recently in terms of events.
Posted by: BigEd   2004-06-16 5:51:37 PM  

#28  Oge_Retla_

I love it when the Rantburg Symphony makes an appearance even if just for practice.
Posted by: Shipman   2004-06-16 5:25:55 PM  

#27  Debka just isn't all that reliable. Sometimes they're right; other times they post moonbat stuff. Some even suspect they might be an Israeli disinformation site.
Posted by: growler   2004-06-16 4:36:36 PM  

#26  Enjoy Hell.
Posted by: Chris W.   2004-06-16 4:27:11 PM  

#25  CAIRO (AFP) - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak appeared on state television just hours after a London-based Islamist group alleged he had been admitted to hospital in critical condition.

The president, who is 76, was shown meeting with Defense Minister Mohammed Hussein Tantawi and then talking to two reporters outside what appeared to be his residence.


During the brief encounter, Mubarak said that Cairo had offered to train Palestinian security forces as part of efforts to prepare for a planned Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip


Posted by: Liberalhawk   2004-06-16 3:54:37 PM  

#24  peggy,

Here is a snippet from Haaretz news ticker:

20:53 Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak holds talks with CIA director, quashing rumors of illness
Posted by: marek   2004-06-16 3:48:11 PM  

#23  marek,

Do you have a link for the story in the Israeli press? Could you post it?



Posted by: peggy   2004-06-16 3:35:21 PM  

#22  Growler,

Why is DebkaFile not considered trustworthy? I often hear that it isn't always a good source.

Just curious.
Posted by: peggy   2004-06-16 3:07:12 PM  

#21  Sorry to disappoint you - debunked by Israeli press as well.
Posted by: marek   2004-06-16 3:03:15 PM  

#20  Pass the salt shaker, please:

DEBKAfile reports exclusively: Stubborn rumors that Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has died are coming from Washington – but not confirmed in Cairo. CIA chief Tenet is reported to have met Mubarak Wednesday.
Posted by: growler   2004-06-16 3:00:01 PM  

#19  "E's not pinin', e's passed on."
Posted by: mojo   2004-06-16 2:46:13 PM  

#18  Still nothing on the major news sites as of 2:40 Eastern time. I think this one's a bust.

"See, I'm not dead!"

Okay, Hosni, we hear you.
Posted by: Mike   2004-06-16 2:39:59 PM  

#17  if there was anything to this, i assume that the oil traders would have wind of it, and that the price of oil would go up on the news.

If King Abdullah of Jordan tripped and blew out his knee, the price of oil would shoot up immediately.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2004-06-16 2:33:42 PM  

#16  egyptian Islamic Jihad (Zawahiris group, pre merger with AQ) murdered Sadat, terrorized Copts, and attacked western and Israeli tourist. It could get quite nasty if they go on the warpath again. Much like Saudi, now.
Posted by: Liberalhawk   2004-06-16 2:31:06 PM  

#15  I guess if things got bad enough in Egypt we could see a dramatic re-enactment of 1967.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats   2004-06-16 2:26:03 PM  

#14  #9 Hosni - "You're not fooling anyone, you know."
Posted by: BH   2004-06-16 2:21:54 PM  

#13  Currently reading "Understanding Terror Networks" by Marc Sageman. Excellent Rantburg Book Club material. (Heard about it on NPR, of all places.) One of the key themes is the extent to which al Qaeda is really an Egyptian operation by philosophy (starting with Sayyid Qutb of the Moslem Brothers) and by operational management. Sageman details the split in the nineties between the Egyptian jihadis who wanted to stay local and focus on overthrowing the regime and those who wanted to go global. The leadership of the former group got jugged and for the most part renounced operations against the Egyptian regime. The latter group, led by Al-Zawahiri, coalesced around Bin Laden to form the modern al Qaeda. Or at least al Qaeda as it looked before we started rolling it up.

Here's my amateur take: whole lot of Egyptian jihadi energy out there. If the regime looks vulnerable, that energy could get seriously focused.

Popcorn anyone?
Posted by: Classical_Liberal   2004-06-16 2:21:51 PM  

#12  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices eased on Wednesday as a modest increase in U.S. crude stocks offset the impact of sabotage attacks that have crippled Iraqi exports.
U.S. light crude shed four cents to $37.15 a barrel, while London's Brent crude lost three cents to $35.00.


if there was anything to this, i assume that the oil traders would have wind of it, and that the price of oil would go up on the news.
Posted by: Liberalhawk   2004-06-16 1:57:21 PM  

#11  If Hosni indeed now communes with the shades of the Pharoahs, I'd bet the farm on somebody trying for a power grab.

Mike
Posted by: Anonymous5243   2004-06-16 1:43:45 PM  

#10  1. there have been rumors of his ill health in main stream media - MSNBC in December
2. Still, posts to Arabic language message boards? Hardly a reliable source. (oh, yeah, and the Lakota Sioux were Arabs, dont ya know)
3. If its true this is BAD timing. What with the Gaza withdrawl coming up. Would be much better if this were to happen AFTER Gaza withdrawl, and Iraqi elections.
Posted by: Liberalhawk   2004-06-16 1:39:36 PM  

#9  "I'm not dead. In fact, I'm getting better. I think I'll go for a walk."
--Hosni Mubarak
Posted by: Mike   2004-06-16 1:37:15 PM  

#8  "...the second result comes right back to Rantburg."
Bwahahahahaha! Chalk up another success for the Rantburg Drive for Media Dominance®!
Posted by: Old Grouch   2004-06-16 1:31:35 PM  

#7  Okay, this is funny. I just went and typed "Mubarak dead" into google and the second result comes right back to Rantburg.

http://www.rantburg.com/pgDPool.asp?V=3&DNAME=Hosni%20Mubarak
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats   2004-06-16 1:22:14 PM  

#6  Did we not see a story or two in the last year that mentioned something about Mubarak trying to groom one of his sons for the position?
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats   2004-06-16 1:19:45 PM  

#5  Sung to WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN
Sung by Kim Carnes in the 1980s

Old Cairo sits by the nile,
Hosni was there don't you know?
Now is the time
away oh
Room tem-pra-ture he is now.
King Tut and the virgins too,
Wait him with open outstretched arms.
In paradise
Oh way oh!
And Cleopatra is there too.

Ascending -
High above the ground
Say a-oh, way-oh, a-oh-way-oh.
Float like an Egyptian.
Posted by: Oge_Retla_2004   2004-06-16 1:17:05 PM  

#4  This article is interesting apropos the succession scenarios.
Posted by: someone   2004-06-16 1:09:30 PM  

#3  this is obviously the start on the much needed regional enema that has been a long time coming.
I feel the region is in for a lot more pain before things are going to get better.
God willing the "good" arabs will be left stand in the end.
Pass the popcorn and let the games begin !!!
Posted by: Anonymous5075   2004-06-16 1:08:29 PM  

#2  If true, things'll be interesting for the next month or so. I'm not sure Junior's in position to assume the Seat of All Power...
Posted by: Fred   2004-06-16 12:55:28 PM  

#1  Does this mean we can stop sending huge bribes the $2 billion in annual foreign aid to him Egypt?
Posted by: Raj   2004-06-16 12:53:19 PM  

00:00