Morsi 'leaked secrets to Iran'

 

Egyptian prosecutors have accused ousted President Mohammed Morsi of leaking state secrets to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

The claim came during the second hearing of his trial on espionage charges.


Prosecutors allege that he and 35 others were involved in a plot to destabilise Egypt. The trial was later adjourned to 27 February.

The deposed Islamist leader is facing four separate trials.

Mr Morsi's supporters say he and other senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders are the victims of politically motivated prosecutions.

The espionage trail opened on 16 February and on Sunday prosecutors detailed the charges against Mr Morsi and his co-defendants.

They were specifically accused of "delivering to a foreign country... national defence secrets and providing the Iranian Revolutionary Guards with security reports in order to destabilise the security and stability of the country", AFP news agency reported.

The statement read in court did not identify the "foreign country".

Mr Morsi is also accused of collaborating with the Palestinian movement Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement. If convicted, he could receive the death penalty.

During Sunday's hearing, Mr Morsi was held separately in a soundproof glass cage to prevent him shouting and disrupting proceedings.