February 12, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The former director of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), Salah Gosh, was rushed to hospital after suffering complications related to his heart condition, sources told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday.

Former director of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services Salah Gosh

Gosh, who was thrown in jail last November with dozens of security and army figures over an alleged coup attempt, has a long history of heart troubles.

People close to Gosh say that the once powerful figure has ignored the advise of his physicians to refrain from smoking and caffeinated drinks and avoid stress.

He suffered a heart attack while in prison last year and was transferred to a NISS hospital where he had a catheter inserted into a his heart.

Sources say that Gosh’s family was only informed about his situation in the afternoon. His wife and daughter, a physician, were allowed to visit him in Al-Amal hospital in Khartoum.

Upon hearing the news, his supporters and relatives gathered in front of the hospital despite heavy security monitoring in the area.

Gosh’s arrest marked the downfall of the once powerful spy chief who is better known for his deep cooperation with the United States on counter-terrorism following the September 2001 attacks in Washington and New York. He was abruptly dismissed from his position in 2009 before being appointed as a presidential adviser for security.

In 2011, he was abruptly sacked by President Omer Hassan al-Bashir from the position following an imbroglio between him and the powerful presidential assistant Nafie Ali Nafie over dialogue with opposition parties. He was later stripped of his positions within the NCP and only maintained his seat in Sudan’s parliament.

Despite repeated official promises of unveiling the results of investigations into the coup attempt, Gosh and others remain in prison without being charged and it is not clear whether they will be eventually prosecuted.

The government has rejected views expressed by skeptics that the case against the detainees is without merit or at its best a preemptive move based on little evidence.

(ST)