Egyptian former president Mohamed Morsi dies in court

Egyptian former president Mohamed Morsi has died after fainting in a courtroom, state TV reported on Monday.

A former top figure in the now-banned Islamist movement Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi, 67, was attending a session in his trial on espionage charges on Monday when he blacked out and then died.

Morsi became president in 2012, following Egypt’s 2011 uprising that forced long-time former president Hosni Mubarak from power. He won 51.7 percent of the vote and his rule marked the peak of power for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, which had functioned for decades as an underground political organisation. However, a year after he took office, Morsi was ousted in July 2013 following mass protests that broke out nationwide.

After his removal from power, Egyptian authorities launched a crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood leaders and members.