Ammon News - Mohammed Mursi arrives at the courthouse by helicopter to face a new hearing in his murder trial as police brace for protests.


AFP- Egypt’s deposed president Mohammed Mursi arrived at the courthouse on Wednesday for the second hearing in his murder trial, as police braced for rallies by his supporters.

Toppled by the military in July, Mursi is charged with inciting the killings of opposition activists in clashes outside the presidential palace in December 2012.

He used his first court appearance on November 4 for a of defiance from the dock, insisting he was still the legitimate president.

He is on trial with 14 co-defendants, including former presidential aides and leaders of his Brotherhood movement.

Mursi arrived at the courthouse by helicopter, police officials said.

He and his co-defendants are being tried in a makeshift court room inside a police academy outside Cairo, the same venue being used for the trial of his deposed predecessor Hosni Mubarak on similar charges.

A coalition led by the Brotherhood had called for a “million man march” to coincide with the hearing, which is expected to start around 0800 GMT.

Mursi’s trial is seen as a test for Egypt’s new authorities, who have come under fire for heavy-handedness.

With more than 1000 people killed since Mursi’s overthrow and thousands of his supporters arrested, the chances of political reconciliation in the Arab world’s most populous nation are ever more remote.

Mursi will also face separate trials on charges of espionage and colluding with militants to carry out attacks in Egypt.

He was catapulted from the underground offices of the long-banned Brotherhood to become Egypt’s first freely elected president in June 2012 following Mubarak’s overthrow in the Arab Spring of 2011.