Morsi jailed 15 days pending investigations, MENA

A judge decided to jail deposed President Mohamed Morsi for 15 days pending investigations on charges of espionage, the privately owned Al-Masry Al-Youm reported on Friday, citing the state-run Middle East News Agency. 

The investigations judge of the Cairo Court of Appeals Hassan Samir addressed charges to Morsi that include spying along side the Hamas group governing the bordering Gaza Strip to conduct violent attacks in Egypt, targeting police premises and officers. The charges also include storming local prisons, destroying them and liberating prisoners, particularly in Wadi al-Natrun Prison. Morsi is also charged with working with Hamas on premeditated murder and kidnap of policemen. 

The Wadi al-Natrun prison case has been sent from the Ismailia Misdemeanor Court to the public prosecutor last June to conduct further investigation on the case, where the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas were implicated in the escape of their members from jail in 2011.  

Samir called on the press to refrain from publishing anything about the case, except from information released by him. 

Morsi has been held incommunicado since his ouster by the Armed Forces on July 3. Several foreign countries demanded that the Armed Forces reveal the deposed president's whereabouts. 

Last week, the state-run Al-Ahram daily published news about the public prosecutor ordering Morsi's detention pending investigations, which were denied by the army. The chief editor of the newspaper had to be interrogated by the public prosecutor for publishing what the army called false news. 

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the National Coalition to Support Legitimacy denounced the decision to jail Morsi, saying the timing is meant to provoke some to abandon the “peacefulness of the protests.” The coalition vowed to continue the peaceful protests and resist any attempts to be dragged down “violent paths.” 

The statement said the timing of the decision is a “malicious attempt” to foil Friday’s protests against what they consider a military coup.The decision, which was issued then denied by the army last week, is indicative of the collapse of the state of the law and the reign of the “rule of the jungle,” the coalition said.

The statement also said Morsi’s file was inspected before his nomination and he was cleared of any accusations. He also took on his duties including those pertaining foreign relations and national security.