Members of the Muslim Brother have packed into the streets following the announcement of an investigation Mohamed Morsi on accusations of espionage in conspiracy with militant Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
Some crimes Morsi has been accused of carry the death penalty, according to the New York Times.
Gen. Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, who ousted Morsi, has said that large demonstrations in support of him and the interim government would give him a “mandate” to fight terrorism, which has been understood to mean suppression of the Brotherhood. Anti-Morsi demonstrators have taken his request to heart, as seen in the photo below.
Authorities are investigating allegations of murder and kidnapping related to a 2011 prison break, in which Hamas gunmen killed 14 guards allegedly at the request of Morsi and the Brotherhood, the Washington Post reports.
The prison break allowed about 30 Muslim Brotherhood members, including Morsi, to escape the prison during the revolution that forced President Hosni Mubarak to resign.
Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood have both denied the allegations, and the Brotherhood claimed locals attacked the guards to free their relatives.
“This is a preparation for eliminating the Brotherhood,” commented Emad Shahin, professor of political science at the American University in Cairo.
Images: WikiCommons, ITV News Twitter
