Egypt’s Mubarak returns home: 5 things to know about him

Ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was released from custody Friday after spending six years in detention.  After his release, Mubarak returned to his home in an upscale neighborhood of Cairo.

Here are five things to know about him:

AQUITTAL

Mubarak, 88, was ordered freed earlier this month after Egypt's top court acquitted him of charges that he ordered or was complicit in the killing of hundreds of protesters during the 2011 popular uprising that led to his ouster. These uprisings were part of the "Arab Spring," a wave of pro-democracy protests that spread across North Africa and the Middle East, toppling several authoritarian rulers.

IRON RULE

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Until his detention, Mubarak ruled Egypt with an iron fist for three decades with the backing of his military, all the while receiving billions in aid from the U.S. government. He suppressed freedoms and outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical group that opposed him. He maintained good relations with Israel.

OUSTER

Mubarak was succeeded by Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2012 in Egypt's first democratic election. Morsi was overthrown a year later in a military coup that followed mass protests over his inept rule. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, the military general who led the coup, has ruled Egypt since then. Sisi will meet with President Trump on April 3 at the White House.

DETENTION

Mubarak was held under heavy security at a military hospital in southern Cairo because of numerous ailments. In 2010, he underwent surgery in Germany for a problem with his gall bladder. He also has heart problems.

CORRUPTION

Mubarak' sons, Alaa and Gamal, also spent time in prison for embezzling state funds. They were released after paying some of the money back. In Egypt, the father and sons are viewed as symbols of a corrupt and autocratic regime that brought security and stability but no improvement in the impoverished lives of ordinary Egyptians.