TheCable

Mohammed Morsi, ousted president of Egypt, collapsed and died during a court session on Monday, according to state TV.

It is believed that the 67-year-old former leader was attending a session in his trial on espionage charges emanating from suspected contacts with Hamas, a Palestinian sect, when he fainted and then passed away.

BREAKING: Egypt's state TV says the country's ousted President Mohammed Morsi has collapsed during a court session and died.

— The Associated Press (@AP) June 17, 2019

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“His body was taken to hospital,” said the state TV.

Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected president, was a top figure in the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

He was elected president in July 2012, but toppled by the military in July 2013, after mass protests against his rule.

He was unseated by a military coup council consisting of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, defense minister; Mohamed ElBaradei, opposition leader; the grand Imam of Al Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb, and Coptic Pope Tawadros II.

Following his removal from office, Morsi has been in prison and has faced a series of trials while the country’s authorities embarked on a crackdown on his supporters and the Muslim Brotherhood.

The ex-president faced a string of serious charges, including inciting the killing of his opponents.

Morsi was handed a death sentence on espionage, prison break and terrorism charges in May 2015. The sentence was however overturned in 2016.