Anti-military protest held across Egypt

The suspects include Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide Mohamed Badei and his two deputies Khairat al-Shater and Mahmoud Ezzat, former parliament speaker Saad al-Katatni and others.

They are accused of collaborating with foreign bodies, spying for the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood, its military wing and the (Palestinian) Hamas movement to carry out terrorist acts in Egypt.

Morsi who is currently kept at Borg al-Arab Prison in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, appeared in public four times since his removal.

The former Islamist president also faces other lawsuits over charges of jailbreak, inciting violence and murdering against protesters outside the presidential palace in early December 2012. He will also face trial over insulting the judiciary, but the date hasn't been set yet.

The hearing is held at the Police Academy complex in eastern Cairo, where a heavy security presence stands guard.

The security plan involved 35 units of the Central Security forces, 30 special combat groups, 44 armored vehicles, a high- ranked security source was quoted by official news agency MENA as saying.

Security forces will be deployed around the academy to ban any attempts by the Muslim Brotherhood elements to disrupt the trial proceedings, the source added.