Military Official Suggests Morsi to Face Formal Charges
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Egypt's army is "preventively" holding President Mohammed Morsi after his ouster by an army decree, a senior army official told Agence France Presse Thursday.
"He is being held preventively for final preparations," the official said, suggesting Morsi might face formal charges over accusations made by his opponents.
Morsi was detained along with senior aides after issuing a defiant call for supporters to protect his elected "legitimacy,” in a recorded speech hours after the military announced he had been ousted Wednesday.
"We had to confront it at some point, this threatening rhetoric," the military official said.
"He succeeded in creating enmity between Egyptians," the official said.
At least 50 people were killed in clashes in the days leading to massive protests on June 30 calling for his departure.
That prompted the army to issue the president a 48-hour ultimatum to find an agreement with the protesters.
Morsi has been summoned for questioning by a court over his escape, along with other inmates, from prison during the revolt that overthrew his predecessor Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
The military official suggested he may now be charged by prosecutors in the case.
A senior member of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood has earlier told AFP Morsi and senior aides had been detained in a military facility.
"Morsi and the entire presidential team are under house arrest in the Presidential Republican Guards Club," Gehad El-Haddad, the son of a top Morsi aide, told AFP.
Haddad's father, Essam El-Haddad, widely seen as Morsi's right-hand man, was among those held, he added.
The military official did not specify where Morsi is being held. Haddad said the ousted president was separated from his aides and detained at the defence ministry.
Morsi's top aides have switched off their phones. Other presidential aides who were separated from Morsi earlier in the day say they have lost communication with their leader.
Morsi had earlier been at his office in the Republican Guard's headquarters, before he was moved.
A police general told AFP that security forces were seeking to arrest leaders of his Muslim Brotherhood movement.
Police have already arrested Saad al-Katatni, head of Morsi's Freedom and Justice Party, and Rashad Bayoumi, the Muslim Brotherhood's deputy supreme guide, the general said.
Hours after the military announced it had canceled the constitution and would appoint the head of Egypt's top court as interim president, Morsi issued a defiant call to arms in a prerecorded speech aired on Al-Jazeera television.
04 July 2013, 07:48
03
He was too religious and driving the country to another Kandahar, when Egyptian realized that after 12 months, They suddenly wake up and said no way, that's his Story. But that's a funny guy
04 July 2013, 08:27
02
I hope Lebanese people will learn from the great Egyptians. Egyptians want freedom and good life, and they love their country,religion come in second place in their private life.this why they couldn't keep this religious scum mursi in power.they want to move forward and he was dragging them back A thousand year into retardness. With all respect to our Lebanese army, I wish the day will come when they will be like the Egyptian army stron and able to get rid of all our corrupted politicians (with no exception). Unfortunately a strong army wil need the support of a strong non religious , non sectarian people who love their country more than anything else. Oh , hey stop am dreaming ........
04 July 2013, 10:22
21
I'm not sure about what "good" the army can bring.
Although I despise Morsi and any extremist or merely religious movement, I don't think the Army should intervene anywhere as it sets very dangerous precedents.
Morsi was democratically elected and this is uncontestable. The army's intervention in the political process, decision to discard a constitution (however badly conceived) or removal of the president (whoever he his) from power is extremely dangerous as it sets the path to a dictatorship and renders democracy useless.
There are other democratic processes in place to remove presidents from power.
04 July 2013, 08:47
03
Finally, GabbyMarch14's prediction of the fall of the "ASSad" regime has materialized. Thank God for that! Oh, this is not Syria but Egypt? Oh, this is not "ASSad" but Morsi? Hey, that's OK. It's not a big deal if GabbyMarch14 was off by a few thousand kilometers and a few letters forming some last name! After all, it is rare that the NostraDamsels of March 14 and Lebanon First Some Twenty-Two Damn Years Late and Still are off, wouldn't you say? For example, Twenty-Two Damn Years and Still are a fleeting moment in a nation's history, no?
04 July 2013, 10:08
02
In a transition period and when you are elected with a thin margin, a president has to be more inclusive. He acted like a bull in a china store and he alianated most of egyptians.
04 July 2013, 10:42
02
Morsi za7at 3an el Korsi webtadayna el igura2at el qanounia..
ViVa Egypt
04 July 2013, 11:21
10
give him a ray ban and a stretcher and park him next to mobarak.and make sure he closes his eyes in font of the judge.
04 July 2013, 11:45
01
No no.
During mubaraks rule, the only two organized parties were his own, and the Muslim brotherhood.
After the revolution, the opposition u see today was fragmented, unknown, and didnt have the time to organize properly. Not to mention they were leaderless really.
In the elections there were no winners by a majority. The ones that had the highest votes were MB, and mubaraks old party. So a run off was held between those two parties.
So, the Egyptians choice was between MB or the ppl they just ousted. MB wins of course. But they over reached, and the ppl went back to the street, only now more organized, and have chosen al baradai as their leader.
04 July 2013, 11:50
01
Morsi only won by default, because the other choice was mubaraks friends.
Now the opposition is organized and ready. They saw the mistake they made by being fragmented, now they're getting behind baradai.
I'm proud of the Egyptians.
05 July 2013, 02:58
00
Amazing ! It has almost taken 3years to bring down Bashar Al Assad, & he is still standing .
It has only taken 48 hours for Morsi to be illuminated !
Muslim Brotherhood , Al Qaida , FSA, Salafists , Whabists , Al Nusra , Al Shabab, Taliban , & last but not least the KSA as well as the GCC states your days are numbered in hours' , tick tock.....tick tock... You are all finished !
