Daughters: Panama ex-dictator Noriega critical after surgery

PANAMA CITY (AP) - The daughters of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega say he has suffered a hemorrhage after surgery to remove a benign brain tumor and is in critical condition.

Thays and Sandra Noriega tell reporters their 83-year-old father has been returned to the operating room. He had been in intensive care after being operated on earlier Tuesday at a Panama City hospital.

Noriega had been in prison for corruption and the killings of opponents during his 1983-89 regime.

The former strongman was transferred to house arrest Jan. 29 to prepare for the procedure, which was originally scheduled for mid-February.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega underwent surgery Tuesday to remove a benign brain tumor, his family and physician reported.

Thays Noriega said her father was out of surgery and in intensive care at a Panama City hospital. Eduardo Reyes, his personal doctor, told The Associated Press that the procedure was performed "without complications."

Hospital officials did not immediately provide information on the operation or answer phone calls seeking comment.

Noriega, 83, had been in prison for corruption and the killings of opponents during his 1983-89 regime.

The former strongman was transferred to house arrest Jan. 29 to prepare for the procedure, which was originally scheduled for Feb. 15.

Noriega was ousted by a U.S. invasion in 1989 and jailed for years in the United States on drug charges.

He was then imprisoned in France for money laundering and returned in 2011 to Panama, where he had already been convicted in absentia.