Close Mubarak associate held in Spain

Authorities in Spain have arrested a close associate of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, wanted on charges of bribery and squandering public funds. Hussein Salam, one of Egypt's most secretive businessmen, was detained in his home in Mallorca on an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol. He had left Egypt a week before Mubarak was forced to resign on February 11 after 18-days of protests against his rule. Brigadier-General Magdy el-Shafei, the head of Egypt's Interpol branch, told the state's Middle East News Agency on Thursday that authorities were preparing the necessary documents to bring Salam back to Egypt. Since Mubarak's ouster, protesters have continued to press for the prosecution of Mubarak and his associates for what they say were years of abuse and corruption. Salam was charged last month along with Mubarak and the ex-president's two sons. Their trial is scheduled for August. He is said to have won lucrative land and other deals, including exporting gas to Israel, because of his connection to Mubarak.