Case against Morsi and his aides adjourned for three weeks

The second hearing of the trial against Egypt’s ousted President Mohamed Morsi and his aides, scheduled to take place today at the National Police Academy’s court in the east of Cairo, has been adjourned after officials announced that poor weather conditions had stopped Morsi’s helicopter from taking off. Morsi is currently being held in Burg Al-Arab Prison, west of Alexandria.

However, international media are reporting that the weather in both Cairo and Alexandria was sunny and fair.

The presiding judge ruled that the trial of Morsi, who is being charged along with 14 other Muslim Brotherhood figures, will resume on 1 February.

Most of the other defendants were brought to the police complex by military vehicles from the Tura Prison in the south of Cairo, but Morsi reportedly remained in Alexandria.

Transportation of the prisoners was associated with heavy security measures and security was deployed along the streets from the prison to the police complex.

Morsi and his aides are charged with being responsible for the death of three protesters in front of Al-Ittihadiyyah presidential palace in 2012. A number of the aides are to be prosecuted in absentia. If they are found guilty, they could all face the death penalty.

The clashes also resulted in the death of nine pro-Morsi protesters. Observers and analysts insist that the prosecution is mainly political.

Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, was ousted in a military coup on 3 July 2012. Ever since then, his supporters have held regular protests calling for his reinstatement.