Former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy's second day in court was held up on Wednesday when bad weather delayed his flight to the Cairo police academy where he was due to face trial for inciting the killing of protesters, state media reported.
The trial is now slated for 1 February.
Alexandria police investigation chief, Nassr al-Abd told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Morsy would be transferred to court once the weather gets better, and that the deposed leader will appear in the white custody detention uniform.
Some Brotherhood figures including Ahmed abdel Aaty, former head of Morsy’s office, Ayman Hudhud, Morsy’s security adviser, Alaa Hamza, of Sharqiya civil affairs department, Assad Sheika, former chief of presidential staff, Essam al-Erian, vice-chief of Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), Mohamed al-Beltagy, FJP figure and Gamal Saber, lawyer, arrived at the academy earlier on Wednesday.
All the suspects were transferred under tight security. Autostrad and ring roads were closed until they arrived at Police Academy in collaboration with traffic department.
Morsy had been due in court for the second session of his trial in a case relating to violence outside the presidential palace when he was head of state. The army deposed Morsy on 3 July after mass protests against his rule.
State media earlier reported that Morsy, who is jailed in Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast, had arrived at the Cairo police academy where the court was due to convene.
But the state news agency later reported that bad weather meant Morsy would most probably not be taken to court. It cited a senior security official.
The charges relate to violence outside the presidential palace in December 2012, during protests ignited by a presidential decree that expanded Morsy's powers. Fourteen other Islamists are standing trial with him.
On 4 November 2013, Cairo Criminal Court reviewed Morsy’s first session of trial on killing protesters incidents which took place on 5 December 2012, leaving many killed and injured. The trial was set to take place at Tora Police Institute, ahead of changing the place to Police Academy in New Cairo.
Security services arrested on Wednesday several Brotherhood supporters while dispersing protesters before the academy. Meanwhile, troops prevented arrival of a march of dozens of Morsy supporters coming from the seventh district in Nasr City toward the academy.
The army-backed authorities brought two new cases against Morsy last month, accusing him of conspiring against Egypt with the Palestinian group Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Shiite Islamist government of Iran, and separately charging him over a mass jail break during the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak.
