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63 Morsi supporters referred to criminal court in Alexandria

Egyptians supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi gather during a protest called by the Muslim Brotherhood in Ramses Square, downtown Cairo, Egypt, August. 16, 2013. UPI/Ahmed Jomaa
Egyptians supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi gather during a protest called by the Muslim Brotherhood in Ramses Square, downtown Cairo, Egypt, August. 16, 2013. UPI/Ahmed Jomaa | License Photo

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Egypt's prosecutor has referred 63 supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi to a criminal court in Alexandria Monday, judicial officials said.

The accused face numerous charges over the deadly clashes between rival protesting groups in Alexandria two days after Morsi was forced out July 3, including murder, attempted murder, violence and possession of firearms during protests, Ahram Online reported.

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Among the defendants is Mahmoud Hassan Ramadan, a Morsi supporter caught on camera throwing a teenage boy off a rooftop and waving an al-Qaida banner in Alexandria's Sidi Gaber district, Egypt's public prosecution office said in a statement.

In Cairo, Muslim Brotherhood Youth Minister Osama Yassin was arrested Monday, charged in the killings of anti-Brotherhood protesters near the organization's headquarters during the unrest before Morsi's ouster, al-Masry al-Youm reported.

Yassin and two others were arrested inside a villa in Cairo's tony Fifth Settlement neighborhood.

Among the charges Yassin faces are inciting violence, disturbing public order and security, murder, attempted murder and spreading chaos.

Hundreds of followers of the Muslim Brotherhood, the movement to which Morsi belongs, have been detained. The movement has also been staggered by a number of arrests within its leadership.

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Meanwhile, ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's retrial for alleged support of protester deaths at the end of his regime was delayed so evidence could be reviewed.

The temporary criminal court at the Police Academy in New Cairo, on the sprawling capital's eastern outskirts, Sunday postponed the trial until Sept. 14 and appointed three committees to review prosecutor evidence on three separate categories of charges against Mubarak, his two sons and once-feared former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, state newspaper al-Ahram reported.

One committee will examine evidence related to charges of complicity in the deaths of more than 800 peaceful protesters during the 18-day uprising that led to Mubarak's ouster Feb. 11, 2011.

Another committee will inspect evidence of alleged corruption tied to the acquisition of villas by Mubarak and his two sons, Alaa and Gamal Mubarak.

The third committee is tasked to review evidence Egypt allegedly sold natural gas to Israel at below-market-prices.

Mubarak lawyer Farid el-Deeb requested the court postpone the trial about six months to give enough time for all documents to be reviewed. Deeb said the documents amounted to more than 55,000 pages, al-Ahram said.

Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for 30 years, was found guilty in June 2012 of being an "accessory to murder" in the demonstrators' deaths because he failed to stop the killings. The three-judge panel sentenced Mubarak to life in prison.

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The judges sentenced al-Adly to the same penalty for the same reason, but dismissed corruption charges against Mubarak, his unpopular sons and six senior Interior Ministry officials on technical grounds.

An appellate court overturned all the verdicts in January on grounds of procedural improprieties and ordered a retrial.

Mubarak, who spent 28 months in prison, was transferred to house arrest Thursday after a court said he could no longer legally be held behind bars.

Gamal and Alaa Mubarak, al-Adly and the six senior Interior Ministry officials remain imprisoned.

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