Suleiman arrived on Monday at the Cleveland Clinic, in the state of Ohio, in the United States, for a medical check-up, when he was diagnosed with amyloidosis, a disease that effects the heart and kidneys.
He later died from complications while undergoing treatment today, spokesperson Wyatt DuBois of the Cleveland Clinic said.
“On Thursday, July 19, General Omar Soliman, former Vice President of Egypt, passed away due to complications from amyloidosis, a disease that affects multiple organs including the heart and kidneys. General Soliman arrived Monday at Cleveland Clinic where the disease was discovered after undergoing multiple medical tests,” DuBois told the Daily News Egypt.
The office of the presidency has announced that Omar Suleiman’s funereal will be a military one and that a representative of President Mohamed Morsy will be present, state news agency MENA reported.
Both the presidency and the cabinet have released statements mourning the former intelligence chief and one time Mubarak vice president. According to interim presidential spokesperson Yasser Aly, the president’s office sent a telegram to Suleiman’s family.
“The deceased was a loyal son of Egypt who gave all he had to offer in all tasks he was assigned and was appreciated by all of the Egyptian people,” said Planning and International Cooperation Minister Faiza Abou El-Naga.
Islamists appear divided as to whether or not they will participate in the funeral. Muslim Brotherhood Deputy General Guide Rashad Bayoumi told Al-Youm Al-Sabe’a newspaper that the Brotherhood was “not required” to attend the funeral.
Salafi Front spokesperson Khaled Said told the same newspaper that funereal prayers for Suleiman would be forbidden in Islam since he is, “a criminal and murderer.”
Yet another Muslim Brotherhood official, Guidance Council member El-Sayed Nezeily, told Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper that the groups would participate in the funeral because it is the “Islamic and human thing to do.”
The Brotherhood’s political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party, said it would also participate.
“Omar Suleiman is a Muslim and he has died. It is our Islamic duty to participate in his funeral despite our political difference with him,” FJP high board member Amir Bassam told Al-Masry Al-Youm.
The Salafist Nour Party’s official spokesperson, Yousry Hammad, also told Al-Masry Al-Youm that his party would participate in the funeral.
Suleiman’s military funeral is set for tomorrow and he will also have two others organised by his supporters, one tomorrow as well and another on Sunday.
Reporting contributed by Moustafa Ayad
Note: since publishing the Salafist Nour Party has denied that Yousry Hammad gave those comments to Al-Masry Al-Youm.
