Ex-Egyptian president Morsi charged with leaking state secrets

Egypt charged ex-president Mohamed Morsi, along with nine others, today with leaking state secrets to Qatar, Reuters reports.

Morsi has already been in jail since his ousting in July 2013. Qatar, a Gulf Arab state, had supported Morsi, and the Egyptian public prosecutor's office says Morsi and his aides leaked information to the state detailing locations of Egyptian weapons, along with sensitive information concerning Egypt's foreign and domestic policies.

"The inquiries…exposed humiliating facts and the extent of the largest conspiracy and treason carried out by the terrorist (Muslim) Brotherhood organization against the nation through a network of spies," the prosecutor's office wrote.

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The maximum penalty if convicted is death, but Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood party says the charges are purely political, another effort to stamp out the group by current Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.