Hosni Mubarak

Mubarak, Hosni (1928– ), president of Egypt since 1981. A graduate of Egypt's military academy, he was trained as a bomber pilot and rose in rank to air force chief of staff (1969) and air force commander (1972). He launched the surprise air attack in the 1973 war with Israel. Chosen by President Anwar Sadat to be Egypt's vice president in 1975, Mubarak became president, by public referendum, after Sadat was assassinated. In 1995, an attempt on his life was made.