Security officials in Egypt said on Saturday that a former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood has been referred to trial on charges of insulting the judiciary.
The Associated Press quoted officials as having said 85-year-old Mahdi Akef was referred to a criminal court. No date for the trial has been set.
Akef was arrested in July as part of a wide government crackdown against the Brotherhood following the July 3 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi. Akef already faces charges of allegedly inciting violence.
Since August, Egypt's authorities have rounded up dozens of senior leaders of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, including the movement’s Supreme Guide.
The new case comes from when Akef called the judiciary “sick” and “corrupt” in April during the height of a power struggle between Morsi and the judiciary. He later tried to distance himself from the remarks, reported AP.
Last month, a court banned the Brotherhood and froze its assets, pushing the group, which had dominated elections since Hosni Mubarak's fall in 2011, further into the cold. A court is due to hear an appeal of that decision on October 22.
Violence has continued in Egypt since Morsi’s ouster, as his supporters continue to protest and challenge security forces.
One protester was killed on Friday after security forces shot at a march by Morsi supporters near Rabaa Al-Adawiya.
Rabaa Al-Adawiya is the site of one of two protest camps that were set up by Morsi supporters and were forcibly dispersed on August 14, leaving hundreds dead.