Egypt's long-time spy chief The former long-term intelligence chief, better known as the Mukhabarat, Omar Suleiman stepped briefly into the limelight when he was appointed vice-president during the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. He left Egypt after a failed bid to run in the country's first-ever free presidential elections in May 2012. Linchpin of the ousted regime, Suleiman was barred from pursuing the country's top job on a technicality, after the country's election commission said he failed to get endorsements from 15 provinces as per the law. A central figure in Egyptian politics for more than 15 years after Suleiman took over the country's intelligence agency in 1993 - the most powerful spymaster in the Middle East. He was often referred to as President Hosni Mubarak's 'black box.' Suleiman's deep involvement in the CIA's programme of extraordinary rendition implicated him in allegations of torture. He took part in both the 1967 and 1973 Middle East wars, though details of his service are unclear. Suleiman along with Mubarak survived an assassination attempt in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where they were due to attend an African summit in June 1995. Born in the southern town of Qena, Omar Suleiman enrolled in Egypt's military academy at the age of 19. He died after undergoing medical tests in a hospital in Cleveland, USA.