Egypt: Brotherhood leaders' trial to open Aug. 25

        
Egypt's state news agency says the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and his powerful deputy will go on trial on Aug. 25 on charges related to the killing of protesters.                 

Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie and his deputy Khairat el-Shater are accused of complicity in the killing of eight demonstrators outside the Islamist group's Cairo headquarters late on June 30 and early July 1. Badie is at still large, while el-Shater is in custody.                  

The killings took place the first day of mass street protests calling for the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, who was a longtime Brotherhood member.                  

The state news agency also said that senior Brotherhood figure Rashad Bayoumi will face trial on the same charges. Three others face murder charges in the same case.            

This comes after Egypt's highest security body has warned that the search for a peaceful end to a standoff over sit-ins by supporters of the ousted president is not open-ended, according to a statement it issued on Sunday.                         

The military ousted Morsi in a July 3 coup that followed days of mass protests in which millions of Egyptians called on the Islamist leader to step down. Morsi's supporters are camped in two Cairo squares demanding his reinstatement.                               

The U.S. and EU are trying to mediate a peaceful resolution to avoid a repeat of deadly clashes between Morsi's supporters and security forces. At least 250 people have been killed in clashes since Morsi's overthrow.                                 


AP