Egypt: Ex-President Mohamed Morsi On Trial

The trial of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi is due to start in Cairo.

He and some 130 others, including members of his banned Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas and Lebanon's Shia militant group Hizbollah, face charges over prison escapes during the country's 2011 revolution.

Prosecutors have said some of the defendants were also accused of murdering police officers and helped thousands to escape during the jailbreak - Mr Morsi himself was among those who escaped from Wadi Natrun jail.

Mr Morsi flew by helicopter from prison in Alexandria to the hearing which is being held at a heavily guarded makeshift courtroom in eastern Cairo.

The Islamist leader, who faces two other trials, was deposed by the army in July following massive popular protests against his one-year rule.

Torn posters of the ousted president

The hearing comes as senior Egyptian official General Mohamed Saeed was assassinated outside his home in Cairo by two gunmen.

The powerful military is backing army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al Sisi to run for the presidency after he led the ousting of Egypt's first democratically elected president.

The trial is part of a relentless government crackdown against the former leader and his Islamist supporters that has seen more than 1,400 people killed since he was deposed, according to Amnesty International.

Most of those killed have been pro-Morsi demonstrators in street clashes with police and his opponents.

The date of the start of the new trial is symbolic as Tuesday marks the third anniversary of the prison break that occurred during the uprising against Hosni Mubarak.

A poster of Mr al Sisi on the wall of a shop in Cairo

A Brotherhood lawyer has said the trial appears aimed at "denigrating" Mr Morsi and the Brotherhood.

In an earlier court appearance, Mr Morsi insisted he was still the country's legitimate president and challenged the legitimacy of the court, regularly interrupting the judges and prosecutors.

He faces charges in four separate trials, some of which carry the death penalty.

Meanwhile, state news agency Mena reported that gunmen blew up a natural gas pipeline Monday night in the volatile Sinai Peninsula south of el-Arish, the capital of the North Sinai governorate.

Gas pipelines have come under attacks several times since the 2011 downfall of Mubarak with the last attack took place 10 days ago.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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