An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced Former President of Egypt, Mohammed Morsi to death for a mass prison break in 2011.
The Egyptian authorities had accused Mr. Morsi, and over 100 other co-defendants of conspiring with Palestinian group (Hamas) and Lebanese group (Hezbollah) to break into prisons across Egypt in January 2011, facilitating the escape of Mr. Morsi and 20,000 others, CNN reports.
According to the media outfit, the court ruled that the sentencing of Morsi and 105 others will be referred to the Grand Mufti, the highest religious authority in Egypt, for confirmation.
At the declaration of their death sentences, those defendants present chanted “Allahu Akbar,”meaning “God is the greatest,” . They remained in the cage where prisoners are held in the courtroom, waving to journalists and lawyers as they chanted.
The court will pronounce its final decision on June 2, 2015.
Morsi, who was overthrown by the army in 2013, amid mass protests against his government, was spared the death sentence in his first trial as he was sentenced to 20 years in jail on charges of inciting violence and killing protesters outside the presidential palace in, December, 2012.
The Egyptian politician, who served as the fifth President of Egypt, from June 30, 2012, to July 3, 2013, was later removed by Field Marshal, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, after the June 2013 Egyptian protests and the 2013 Egyptian coup d’état.
He was the first to be democratically elected as head of state in Egyptian history.
