Prosecutor orders release of Egypt's ousted leader Hosni Mubarek

He has spent virtually all of the past six years in hospital since his detention in 2011.

A Cairo prosecutor has ordered the release of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, ending nearly six years of legal proceedings against the long-ruling autocrat.

Egypt's official news agency said Ibrahim Saleh ordered the release on Monday after he accepted a petition by Mr Mubarak's lawyer for his freedom on the basis of time already served.