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Morsi held at military intelligence facility post coup d'etat

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ANI London

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is being reportedly held at the military intelligence facility after military chief made a televised announcement that Morsi has been ousted and his powers will be taken upon by the chief justice of the constitutional court, Adli Mansour.

Morsi had refused to bend down to the 48-hour ultimatum provided by the army to 'meet the demands of the Egyptian people' and had said that he wouldn't be dictated internally or externally as he is a democratically elected president.

According to BBC, General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi said that since Morsi failed to meet the demands, he is being ousted and is no longer in office.

 

Brotherhood officials said that Morsi and at least two leaders including Essam El-Haddad of his Muslim Brotherhood's political wing are being held in detention.

US president Barack Obama expressed concern on the latest turn of events and has called for a swift return to civilian rule and ordered a review of US foreign aid to Egypt which by US law must be suspended in the event an elected leader is deposed by a military coup.

TV stations belonging to Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood went off air at the end of Sisi's speech and managers at the movement's Misr25 channel were arrested.

The report said that Morsi's facebook page denounced the army's move and called it a 'military coup' and asked the Egyptian citizens to abide by the constitution and the law and not respond to the coup.

Sisi said that Mansour will be running the country's affairs during the transitional period until the election of a new president.

Morsi's supporters raised slogans of 'no to military rule' while anti-Morsi protestors in Cairo gave huge cheer in response to Sisi's speech.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also voiced his concern, appealing for calm and restraint in Egypt, the report said.

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First Published: Jul 04 2013 | 10:09 AM IST

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