Morsi detained for 15 days in prison for 'inciting violence' against protesters

Former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, seen here before the July 3 protest that saw him removed from office. (AFP/File)

An Egyptian prosecutor has ordered former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi be detained for 15 days over claims he incited violence against protesters.

According to the Egyptian state news agency and ran by Reuters, the prosecutor's case against the ousted ruler is new and is over claims he was complicit in the deaths and torture of protesters outside Cairo's presidential palace in late 2012, when he was still president.

Morsi was removed from office on July 3 by the Egyptian military. His ousting has caused widespread clashes and rioting across Egypt. Last Wednesday, the Egyptian authorities launched a crackdown on pro-Morsi camps across Cairo in which over 500 people died. Many more have died in the days since as tensions between those who oppose Morsi and his Islamist supporters battle it out on the streets across the country.