The trial of Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Morsi began in Egypt with court disruptions, tension and a defiant defendant.
Morsi and 14 senior members of the outlawed Islamist Muslim Brotherhood were brought into the court to be formally charged with incitement of violence and murder. All defendants are facing the death penalty.
Morsi defied the judge by wearing a blue suit into court instead of the mandated prison clothes. He also challenged the court’s authority saying that he was the legitimate president of the country and those who removed him should be the ones on trial.
Presiding judge Ahmed Sabry Youssef adjourned the hearing because the defendants refused to stop chanting. He gave the defense lawyers until January 8th to review documents from the case.
The hearing was the first public appearance of Morsi since his removal from power on July 3rd.
The man believed to have carried out a gun attack at Los Angeles International Airport could be facing the death penalty if convicted of the charges against him.
Paul Ciancia, 23, has been charged with murder of a federal agent, violence at an international airport and multiple other charges. He remains hospitalized after being shot in the mouth and legs by police.
LAX has reopened fully after the investigation on-site was completed.
Police reported that the gunman did not initially kill 39-year-old TSA agent Gerardo Hernandez, the first TSA agent killed in the line of duty. Ciancia had wounded Hernandez before shooting at other agents then returned to kill the fallen agent.
The FBI says Ciancia carried a handwritten note stating he made the conscious decision to kill TSA employees to “instill fear into their traitorous minds.”
He pushed through screening gates and was 100 yards into the secure area before law enforcement reached him and he opened fire near a food court.