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Ex-Chilean dictator Pinochet in critical condition

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SANTIAGO, Chile (CNN) -- Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was in critical condition Monday after suffering a heart attack, doctors said.

The 91-year-old general was conscious and talking after emergency surgery Sunday to clear a clogged artery that caused the heart attack, The Associated Press reported.

Dr. Juan Ignacio Vergara, a member of Pinochet's medical team, said there had been no medical complications, AP reported. But he added: "We cannot say he is out of his critical condition before 24 to 48 hours from his admission to the hospital. The general's condition continues to be life- threatening."

Pinochet "spent a stable, calm night," his son Marco Antonio said Monday morning, AP reported.

A priest administered last rites after Pinochet had the heart attack early Sunday.

Meanwhile, Pinochet was released on bail from house arrest Monday, a court official said. The release will have no immediate effect because of Pinochet's hospitalization.

Pinochet was arrested last week in connection with the murder of two opponents in 1973.

Pinochet was the Chilean army's chief of staff when he seized power in a U.S.-backed coup in 1973, ruling the country with an iron hand until 1990. He spent the past several years battling efforts to bring him to trial in connection with human rights abuses during his rule.

He was under house arrest and heavily guarded Sunday when his wife, Lucia Hiriart, and an unspecified number of his children rushed him to the hospital at 2 a.m. (12 a.m. ET), the hospital said.

Pinochet has a history of diabetes and was given a pacemaker after suffering a stroke in 2005.

He marked his 91st birthday on November 25 by issuing a statement in which, for the first time, he took "full political responsibility for what happened" during his dictatorship. (Full story)

Pinochet has been indicted in two human rights cases in the past five years, but the cases were thrown out by courts when judges found he was not well enough to stand trial.

A Chilean court official said he is charged with tax fraud, passport forgery and other crimes related to $27 million he allegedly stashed in bank accounts abroad during his 17-year-rule.

Chile's Supreme Court stripped Pinochet of presidential immunity last year, opening the door for the tax fraud and other charges. One theory is that the money in the overseas banks came from illegal arms sales.

He was arrested in October 1998 in London on a warrant issued by Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon, who charged him with genocide, terrorism and torture in the deaths and disappearance of thousands of people, including some Spaniards, during his regime.

Leftists have accused him of ordering the torture and death of thousands of leftists during his regime. But he had also been praised for having attracted foreign investment to the country.

Journalist Alberto Pando in Santiago contributed to this report

Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

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