Egypt to Charge Morsi with Premeditated Killing, Spying for Hamas

Egypt is preparing to charge Mohammed Morsi with spying for Hamas, and announced that he is being held under arrest for another 15 days while indictments are being prepared.

Egypt’s official Middle East News Agency (MENA) stated on Friday that Morsi is suspected of carrying out “anti-state acts, attacking police stations, army officers and storming prisons, setting fire to one prison and enabling inmates to flee, including himself, as well as premeditated killing of officers, soldiers and prisoners."

The announcement came hours before pro-Morsi supporters and anti-Muslim Brotherhood factions were preparing to demonstrate. Not coincidentally, the charges were stated the day after U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called for Morsi to be released because there have been no formal charges filed against him.

The Egyptian military leader, Gen. Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi, urged the public to rally on Friday against “terrorism,” meaning the Muslim Brotherhood party that catapulted Morsi into the presidency a year ago.

The charges against Morsi include accusations that he helped stage  the jailbreak of dozens of Muslim Brotherhood leaders during the 2011 revolt against the regime of Hosni Mubarak. Several Egyptian media outlets reported that Morsi worked with Hezbollah and Hams to free terrorists from jails.

The Muslim Brotherhood replied on Friday, "The accusations read as if they're a retaliation from the old regime, signaling 'We're back in full force," according to Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Hadda, quoted by AFP.