Ben Ali in a coma after suffering stroke, report
Former Tunisian president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali is in a coma after suffering a stroke, a French journalist says. Citing sources in Tunisia, Nicolas Beau said on his blog that Ben Ali is in a critical condition in a Jeddah hospital.
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The hospital is said to cater for Saudi princes. For security reasons the ousted Tunisian leader is believed to have been admitted under a false name on Tuesday.
His wife Leila Trabelsi is no longer at his side, Beau reports.
Ben Ali is thought to have suffered several health problems over the past few years.
He was in power in Tunisia for 23 years before a popular uprising forced him to flee the country on 14 January.
The claim that Ben Ali has been hospitalised has been confirmed by webzine JSSnews, although it says he suffered a heart attack.
It says that he is in a critical condition and that Tunisian authorities aware of the situation.
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