The Cairo Criminal Court postponed the trial to 23 February as Morsy's defense lawyers withdrew to protest keeping the ousted president and fellow defendants in a soundproof glass dock. The court called off the trial until a new defense team is appointed, according to state-run al-Ahram.
Morsy urged his lawyers to withdraw from the session. "Hey Osama, how are you doing? Do you hear me?" he shouted, calling his son.
"This is a farce! Why are you so scared?" Morsy yelled, addressing the judges who contended that they would proceed with the trial disregarding the defense lawyers' stance.
Mohamed Selim al-Awa, a former presidential runner who heads the defense team, said they cannot proceed with the case while defendants are kept in a cage where they "cannot hear anything."
One judge objected when a lawyer referred to Morsy as "the president of the republic."
The defense team representing deposed President Mohamed Morsy have withrawn from his trial to protest the judges' refusal to remove the glass dock where the former president and 35 other defendants were kept in at the court room. Both sides exchanged heated arguments over the request, and Morsy urged the lawyers not to talk to the judges, labeling the situation a "farce."
The North Cairo Criminal Court will hold a review at the Police Academy on Sunday in the first session in the trial of former President Mohamed Morsy, Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badei and 34 other Brotherhood leaders over charges of spying for foreign organizations.
Egyptian state-run TV reported that 19 suspects, including Morsy, arrived at the Police Academy for the trial and that Morsy had not arrived yet.
Senior security from the Interior Ministry said Morsy arrived from Borg al-Arab prison in Alexandria to the Police Academy via helicopter. He was then transferred amid tight security to the room attached to the courtroom before the session.
The other MB defendants include supreme guide deputies Khairat al-Shater and Mahmoud Ezzat, former Speaker of Parliament Saad al-Katatny, Mohamed al-Beltagy, Essam al-Erian, Saad al-Husseiny, former Chief of Staff Mohamed Refaa al-Tahtawy and his deputy Assad al-Sheika, the director of Morsy’s office Ahmed Abdel Aaty and 25 other Brotherhood members.
The prosecutors accused Morsy of spying for Hamas and providing its members with information concerning the Egyptian security situation during the 25 January revolution. They also accused him of helping detained Hamas members in Egyptian prisons escape during the January uprising.
Investigations accused the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood of committing violence in Egypt to create chaos and planning a terrorist scheme to form an alliance between the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and other foreign extremist organizations including the military wing of the Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and other local and foreign organizations. The group also smuggled weapons and members to Gaza via tunnels with the help of Hamas for the purpose of military training.
The suspects also allegedly gathered with other members of extremist groups in Sinai for training on how to spread propaganda to achieve the goals of the Muslim Brotherhood.
According to investigations, the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood funded criminal schemes in its Egypt branch, which was started in 2005 and resumed during the 2011 revolution, to assault security forces and arming citizens.
Prosecution also accused suspects of preparing to gain control of security establishments in Sinai and declare it an Islamic state in the case that Morsy did not win the presidential elections, according to the investigations.
Suspects Essam al-Haddad, Abdel Aaty, Tahtawy, Sheikha and Mohie Hamed are accused of sharing confidential reports meant for review by the president to the Muslim Brotherhood and other foreign authorities as an award for carrying out terrorist operations and assisting the Brotherhood in Egypt until it assumed power.
Some of the reports were sent by the presidency’s email indicating that Morsy was informed, investigations said.
Investigations also stated that the foreign groups carried out attacks against police and armed forces in Sinai to intimidate Egyptians and destabilize the country in order to reinstate Morsy.
The prosecution had earlier ordered 19 suspects to be kept custody pending investigations as well as the arrest of other runaway suspects.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm and MENA
