Murder trial of ex-Egyptian leader Mohamed Morsi resumes, adjourns

CAIRO, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The trial of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, charged with inciting the killing of protesters as president, resumed briefly Tuesday before adjourning.

The hearing, the fourth since his trial began in November, will resume Wednesday. The court in Cairo also said it would review a report on video footage of the deadly clashes between Morsi's supporters and opponents March 1, Ahram Online reported.

Morsi and 14 others, including presidential aides and Muslim Brotherhood figures, are accused of inciting the killing of opposition protesters outside the presidential palace in 2012. Nearly a dozen people were killed during the violent protests that were sparked by a presidential decree expanding Morsi's powers.

Other cases against Morsi concern a 2011 jailbreak, conspiring with Hamas and Hezbollah to carry out a terrorist campaign in Egypt and insulting the judiciary.

Several defendants atTuesday's hearing turned their back on the judges, Ahram Online said.

Among the nine witnesses expected to testify on Wednesday are the presidential palace's guard commander and guard chief.

Egyptian authorities have declared the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Morsi is a member, a "terrorist organization." In a crackdown against the Brotherhood, authorities have jailed many of the group's leadership.

Amnesty International estimates at least 1,400 people have died since Morsi's overthrow in July.