Cairo ( CNN ) -- Egyptians exulted Wednesday over the detention of their ailing former president and his two sons in a probe exploring the killing of protesters in Cairo 's Tahrir Square , the center of the country 's dramatic uprising earlier this year . Former President Hosni Mubarak and his sons , Gamal and Alaa , were taken into 15-day detainment Tuesday in connection with the protesters ' deaths , according to Ahmed Hemeida with the Justice Ministry . Mubarak has decried accusations of his responsibility in the deaths , saying the probe is aimed at tarnishing his reputation and that of his family . The detention and questioning of the former authoritarian leader is unprecedented in the modern Arab world . Saddam Hussein , Iraq 's late leader , was captured by U.S. troops and put on trial after his regime was toppled more than eight years ago -- but Mubarak 's case is different because his detention did n't involve the West . In contrast to Hussein 's case , the government made the arrest amid domestic demands that Mubarak be held . People on the street in Cairo saw the arrest as a positive sign . One smiling taxi driver stopped in traffic , crossed his wrists in front of himself as if he was handcuffed and yelled `` Mubarak 'cuffed ! ' '' in Arabic . Mahmoud Amreya , who cooks chicken and beef shawarma sandwiches over a hot grill , beamed . `` I am very happy , '' he said . Ahmed Abdulsalem , an accountant in a coffee shop , said Egypt `` has taken a big step forward '' with people regaining their dignity . `` In the previous regime corruption gave way to more corruption , and it was survival of the fittest , '' he said . `` Corruption . The country was spiraling downwards from bad to worse , in all cases . What we are living today is much better than what it was under the oppressive regime . '' The developments came a day after the former president -- who earlier was summoned for questioning on corruption allegations -- was admitted to a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh after complaining to his doctor he felt unwell . Egyptian state television reported Mubarak suffered a heart attack during questioning over possible corruption charges . Egypt 's health minister later said Mubarak 's condition was stable enough to allow prosecutors to resume questioning at the hospital , according to the state-owned Al Ahram newspaper . A man who said he was the head doctor from a Ministry of Justice team assisting with Mubarak 's questioning said late Wednesday the former leader had heart palpitations and was able to walk with assistance . The doctor , Dr. Ahmed El Sabaaei , told Egypt 's opposition Al Hayat El Youm TV that Mubarak was still at Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital in stable condition . However , Alla Mahmoud , an Interior Ministry spokesman , told CNN that Mubarak was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Cairo on Wednesday . The younger Mubaraks have been transferred to Cairo 's Tora Prison , Hemeida said . Mubarak and his family were believed to have been living on his estate in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh since February 11 , when he stepped down and handed power to the military . In response to accusations that his family had grown wealthy at the expense of the Egyptian people , Mubarak , in a brief audio message aired Sunday , promised he and his family would account for everything they own . He said he agreed to allow the prosecutor to contact governments around the world to take `` proper legal steps '' to reveal whether he or his family own any property or real estate outside Egypt . Mubarak was brought to Cairo for questioning last month , and Egypt 's attorney general issued an order to freeze the assets of him and his family , and prohibited them from leaving the country . Mubarak had back surgery in Germany in 2004 and returned for more surgery there in March 2010 . It was widely reported the 2010 operation was to have his gall bladder removed , but El Sabaaei said Mubarak had actually been suffering from prostate cancer and went to Germany to have his prostate removed . Mubarak had largely withdrawn from public view in recent years , until this year 's uprising prompted him to make televised speeches . He ruled Egypt for nearly three decades before his regime was toppled by a groundswell of popular protests that began January 25 . On the street , meanwhile , Mohamed Gafar , a taxi driver , said that because of Mubarak 's detention he is seeing a wellspring of joy from his perch , what he called `` happiness beyond imagination . '' `` The man that used to put people in prison is now behind bars . '' he said . `` They were the rulers of the country and today , with God 's will , where are they ? In prison . In prison . Oppression has an end . Every oppressor has an end . '' CNN 's Samson Desta , Caroline Faraj , Ivan Watson and journalist Mohamed Fadel Fahmy contributed to this report .
Mubarak and two sons are being held for questioning in the killing of protesters . The questioning of Mubarak on corruption allegations already had begun , the military says . Egyptian state television reports Mubarak had a heart attack . Mubarak stepped down on February 11 .