One month ago, ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was hospitalized in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh for a heart attack after prosecutors began questioning him about accusations of corruption, abuse of authority, and the killings of protesters during the Egyptian revolution. The 83-year-old Mubarak is still in detention in the hospital, and now his wife, Suzanne, has joined him there. Mrs. Mubarak, 70, was sent to the intensive care unit after investigators detained her for questioning about whether she used her position to amass wealth illegally. The head of the Sharm el Sheikh hospital said Mrs. Mubarak suffered a "suspected heart attack and a sharp increase in blood pressure" after she learned about her detention, according to the AFP. She is expected to eventually be transferred to a prison in Cairo, where the couple's two sons are being held as part of a broader effort by Egyptian authorities to root out corruption.

The New York Times notes that it's unclear whether prosecutors will actually build a case against Mrs. Mubarak or simply want information from her about the family's wealth. Mrs. Mubarak was well known for her work with charitable organizations, her advocacy of women's issues (she opposed female genital mutilation, for example), and her support for the Arab version of Sesame Street, Alam Simsim, but diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks and Egyptian state media reports also suggest she played a powerful role in the Mubarak regime and campaigned for her son Gamal to succeed his father.

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Uri Friedman