Former Egyptian leader Mubarak dies

Hosni Mubarak, who ruled for three decades before Egyptians overthrew him in the 2011 Arab Spring uprising, has died. He was 91. Egyptian state television confirmed Mubarak died at a hospital in Cairo, where he underwent surgery on Jan. 23.

What was Mubarak’s legacy? A one-time fixture in Middle East politics and a former U.S. ally, he positioned himself as a fighter against Islamist militancy and sectarian division. In 2011, Egyptians protested the corruption, economic deterioration, and a much-feared security apparatus that marked Mubarak’s leadership. He spent about six years in prison on charges of corruption and contributing to the deaths of hundreds of protesters. But courts overturned the charges on appeal, and Mubarak went free in 2017.

Dig deeper: Read my World Tour report in the rise of a new dictator in Egypt.