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.
“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.
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
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.
