EGYPT'S JAILED PRESIDENT HINTS AT POISONING ATTEMPT

Egypt summons Pakistan envoy over death sentences rebuke (Photo : Memo)

Kairo, 24 Shawwal 1436/10 August 2015 (MINA) – Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s ousted and imprisoned president, hinted on Saturday that he had been subject to a poisoning attempt by prison officials.

During court proceedings, Morsi – democratically elected in mid-2012 only to be ousted by the army one year later – cryptically said he had “refused to eat food [provided by prison officials], which, had I eaten it, a crime would have occurred”.

Morsi went on to cite five recent “incidents” he had experienced in prison, which, he asserted, “would have constituted a crime” had they succeeded. Middle East Monitor (Memo) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

He did not elaborate further.

Last month, Morsi was sentenced to death for “espionage” and escaping from prison during the 2011 popular uprising that forced former President Hosni Mubarak to step down after 30-year rule..

A leading member of Egypt’s now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group, Morsi – who was ousted and imprisoned by Egypt’s military in mid-2013 – still faces several other criminal charges, which he and his supporters insist are politically motivated. (T/P002/RO6)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)