Egypt's ousted president facing espionage, jailbreak charges

CAIRO, July 26 (Xinhua) -- A top Egyptian court has ordered the detention of ousted Islamist-oriented President Mohamed Morsi for 15 days for investigations over charges of spying and jailbreak, official media reported Friday.

According to state-run MENA news agency, Morsi is accused of spying for the Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement; while official al-Ahram online said he is also facing charges of "escaping from Wadi El Natron prison and destroying the prison's official records as well as the intentional killing of officers and some prisoners. "

In June, the misdemeanor court in Ismailia governorate confirmed the claims accusing foreign elements of storming Wadi EL Natron Prison to release prisoners when the Egyptian turmoil erupted in early 2011. The escaped prisoners included members of the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, Lebanese Hezbollah as well as Hamas, and Morsi was claimed to be among them. The court then referred the case to the public prosecution for further investigation.

In an initial Muslim Brotherhood response on Friday, a senior member described the accusations against Morsi as "ridiculous," saying the decision to hold Morsi in custody signals the coming back of the regime of Hosni Mubarak.

Morsi was ousted by the military on July 3 after he failed to respond positively to the demands of millions of protesters who cited his maladministration since he was elected a year ago.

Morsi was then held in a secret place. The authorities, facing external pressures to release him, said he is in a safe place and well-treated, while the authorities' public announcement of the charges against him provided the legal basis for his further detention.

The news on Friday is expected to lead to even greater reactions from both pro- and anti-Morsi citizens, as the mass rallies that were planned ahead by the two sides are already underway in major Egyptian cities.

Before the climax of the Friday demonstrations, at least 10 people were injured already in clashes between supporters and opponents of the deposed president in a train station in Mahalla Kubra in Gharbia governorate on Friday morning, MENA reported, quoting a local security official.

The injured include six Muslim Brotherhood members, three residents and a police conscript, said the official.

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