Morsi to Face Another Trial —and the Death Penalty

Mohamed Morsi's legal troubles just got a lot worse: Egypt's top prosecutor referred the former Islamist president to trial for conspiring with the Palestinian group Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah, and others to carry out a campaign of violence to destabilize the country following his ouster. Prosecutors claim that while president, Morsi and his aides revealed state secrets to the militant groups and to Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Morsi and 35 others, including the Muslim Brotherhood's top three leaders, are also accused of sponsoring terrorism and carrying out combat training and other acts to undermine Egypt's stability. The charges, which refer to incidents as far back as 2005, carry the death penalty.

The prosecution statement was entitled "the biggest case of conspiracy in Egypt's history goes to the criminal court." A defense lawyer for Brotherhood members said the lawyers have not attended any of their clients' interrogations and have no idea about the details of the charges. No trial date has been set. Morsi is already on trial on charges of inciting the murder of his opponents while in office. After being removed from office in July by the military, Morsi spent months in an undisclosed location before he appeared in court to face the incitement charges in November. That trial resumes in January. (More Mohamed Morsi stories.)