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Former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi died on Monday after he collapsed in his cage after speaking in court, Egypt's public prosecutor has said.
He added that the former leader, 67, was pronounced dead at 4:50 CET in the hospital. A medical report done on Morsi's body shows no signs of recent injuries.
The Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist organisation Morsi belonged to and which is now considered by the state to be a terrorist organisation, said in a statement that its former leader's death is "full-fledged murder" and called for masses to attend the funeral.
Morsi, Egypt's first democratically-elected president, was toppled by the military in 2013 after mass protests against this rule.
State television said he was in court for a hearing on charges of espionage emanating from suspected contacts with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
The ousted leader was serving a 20-year prison sentence for a conviction arising from the killing of protesters during demonstrations in 2012 and a life sentence for espionage in a case related to Qatar.
Mr Morsi had told the courtroom of the "many secrets" he held, before fainting just minutes later.
Egyptian state television says the ousted leader died after collapsing in court shortly after addressing the room.
Speaking from the glass defendants cage, Morsi told the court of the "many secrets" he harboured and could reveal.
The hearing at the courthouse in Cairo's Tura Prison on Monday was part of a re-trial for espionage charges relating to the Palestinian Hamas militant group.
A lawyer representing Mr Morsi said his client was "calm and organised" ahead of the hearing.
He said: "He summarised our argument in three to five minutes. He insisted on a special tribunal as he is the president of the republic."
A statement from Egypt's attorney general said surveillance cameras inside the court would be reviewed, and a post-mortem would be carried out.
Mr Morsi gained prominence as the leader of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group, before becoming Egypt's first democratically elected president in July 2012.
He was ousted just a year later in a military coup led by Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who is Egypt's current president, following weeks of huge anti-government protests across the North African nation.
The wellbeing of the former president, who has been detained since the coup, has repeatedly featured in the headlines.
His son Ahmed has previously spoken to media about the "severe deterioration" of his father's health in prison, and said authorities had "ignored" his needs.
Mohammed Sudan, a member of the London branch of the Muslim Brotherhood group, said Mr Morsi's death amounted to "premeditated murder".
He said: "He has been placed behind glass cage [during trials].
"No one can hear him or know what is happening to him. He hasn't received any visits for months or nearly a year. He complained before that he doesn't get his medicine. This is premeditated murder. This is slow death."
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch said the incident was "predictable" given authorities' "failure" to provide necessary care.
The organisation pointed to a report that it had written two years earlier, which described the "cruel and inhumane" treatment Mr Morsi had received in detention.
It detailed "appalling conditions" that led to him losing weight, fainting, and experiencing a diabetic coma.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Mr Morsi was a "brother" and a "martyr", and sent condolences to the Muslim Brotherhood and the Egyptian population.
Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani also tweeted his condolences to Mr Morsi's family and "brotherly Egyptian people".
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Former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi died on Monday after he collapsed in his cage after speaking in court, Egypt's public prosecutor has said.
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| Image: Egyptian state television says the ousted leader died after collapsing in court |
The Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist organisation Morsi belonged to and which is now considered by the state to be a terrorist organisation, said in a statement that its former leader's death is "full-fledged murder" and called for masses to attend the funeral.
Morsi, Egypt's first democratically-elected president, was toppled by the military in 2013 after mass protests against this rule.
State television said he was in court for a hearing on charges of espionage emanating from suspected contacts with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
The ousted leader was serving a 20-year prison sentence for a conviction arising from the killing of protesters during demonstrations in 2012 and a life sentence for espionage in a case related to Qatar.
Mr Morsi had told the courtroom of the "many secrets" he held, before fainting just minutes later.
Egyptian state television says the ousted leader died after collapsing in court shortly after addressing the room.
Speaking from the glass defendants cage, Morsi told the court of the "many secrets" he harboured and could reveal.
The hearing at the courthouse in Cairo's Tura Prison on Monday was part of a re-trial for espionage charges relating to the Palestinian Hamas militant group.
A lawyer representing Mr Morsi said his client was "calm and organised" ahead of the hearing.
He said: "He summarised our argument in three to five minutes. He insisted on a special tribunal as he is the president of the republic."
A statement from Egypt's attorney general said surveillance cameras inside the court would be reviewed, and a post-mortem would be carried out.
Mr Morsi gained prominence as the leader of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group, before becoming Egypt's first democratically elected president in July 2012.
He was ousted just a year later in a military coup led by Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who is Egypt's current president, following weeks of huge anti-government protests across the North African nation.
The wellbeing of the former president, who has been detained since the coup, has repeatedly featured in the headlines.
His son Ahmed has previously spoken to media about the "severe deterioration" of his father's health in prison, and said authorities had "ignored" his needs.
Mohammed Sudan, a member of the London branch of the Muslim Brotherhood group, said Mr Morsi's death amounted to "premeditated murder".
He said: "He has been placed behind glass cage [during trials].
"No one can hear him or know what is happening to him. He hasn't received any visits for months or nearly a year. He complained before that he doesn't get his medicine. This is premeditated murder. This is slow death."
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch said the incident was "predictable" given authorities' "failure" to provide necessary care.
The organisation pointed to a report that it had written two years earlier, which described the "cruel and inhumane" treatment Mr Morsi had received in detention.
It detailed "appalling conditions" that led to him losing weight, fainting, and experiencing a diabetic coma.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Mr Morsi was a "brother" and a "martyr", and sent condolences to the Muslim Brotherhood and the Egyptian population.
Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani also tweeted his condolences to Mr Morsi's family and "brotherly Egyptian people".
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