Mohammed Morsi accused of conspiring with Hamas

Egypt'spublic prosecutor chargedformer president MohammedMorsiand 35 other topIslamistsonWednesday with conspiring with foreign groups to committerrorist acts in Egypt, in a case that could result in their
execution.

Declaring it "the biggest case of conspiracy in the history of Egypt", a statement detailed a "terrorist plan" dating backto 2005 and implicating the Palestinian groupHamas, the Shi'iteIslamist government of Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah.

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Morsi is already standing trial for inciting violence duringprotests outside the presidential palace a year ago when he wasstill in office.

He was deposed in July by the army followingmass protests against his rule.

Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, dismissed it as"fabrications and lies."There was no immediate comment fromIran, Hezbollah orMorsi'sMuslim Brotherhood, most of whoseleaders are in prison.

It marks a further escalation in the suppression of anIslamist movement that propelledMorsito victory in last year'spresidential election but which has been driven undergroundsince the army deposed him in July after mass protests.

The state has cracked down hard on the group since then,killing hundreds of its supporters. Thousands more have beenarrested as the army-backed government proceeds with atransition plan designed to lead to elections next year.

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The next step is a referendum on a new constitution set formid-January. In a statement on Wednesday, the Brotherhood'sFreedom and Justice Party called for a boycott of the vote

The previous constitution was written by anIslamist-dominated assembly and signed into law byMorsia yearago after it was approved in a referendum.

The new constitution contains an article that would ban allreligious parties. Although the Brotherhood and its Islamistallies oppose it, theultra-orthodoxIslamistNourParty is calling on Egyptians to vote for the constitution.

Divulging military secrets

BesidesMorsi, the prosecutor charged Brotherhood leaders MohamedBadie,KhairatEl-Shater,MahmoudEzzatand others withcrimes including committing acts of terrorism in Egypt anddivulging military secrets to a foreign state.

The idea that the president of the republic is guilty ofespionage is a very strange one.-Nathan Brown, GeorgeWashington University professor

"The idea that the president of the republic is guilty ofespionage is a very strange one," said Nathan Brown, a GeorgeWashington University professor and expert on Egypt.

"As long as the treatment of the Brotherhood leadership is treated as a security matter rather than a political matter, Egypt's political future will remain shaky," he said.

The Brotherhood has said it is committed to peacefulresistance. Its supporters are holding almost daily protests onuniversity campuses against what they see as a bloody militarycoup against Egypt's first democratically elected leader.

The prosecutor's statement said the Brotherhood had hatcheda plan dating back to 2005 that would send "elements" to theGaza Strip for military training by Hezbollah and the IranianRevolutionary Guards.

Upon their return to Egypt, they would join forces with extremist groups in the Sinai Peninsula, the Egyptian-controlledterritory that borders Israel to the east, it said.

After the 2011 uprising that ousted PresidentHosniMubarak,the group exploited the chaos to carry out attacks on securityforces in North Sinai and elsewhere, it said.

The statement said the groupaimed to establish an "Islamicemirate" in North Sinai wereMorsinot declared president.

It added thatMorsi'spresidential aides, including his national security adviserEssamEl-Haddad,had leaked secretreports to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah as a rewardfor their co-operation.

The charges also accusethe Brotherhood of carrying out attacks on security forces in North Sinai after Morsi's removal, areference to an insurgency byhardlineIslamiststhat hasescalated since July, killing 200 policemen and soldiers.

Hamas, an ideological cousin of the Muslim Brotherhood, hasbeen demonized byMorsi'sopponents in Egypt.SamiAbuZuhri,the group's spokesman, said the accusations were "empty andmeaningless."

The prosecutor was accusingHamasof "intervening in theinternal affairs of Egypt in order to settle purely internalconflicts in Egypt,"he said.

Appearing on trial earlier this month, Brotherhood GeneralGuideBadiedenied the group had committed any acts of violence.

Morsiis already standing trial for inciting violence duringprotests outside the presidential palace a year ago when he wasstill in office.