Police fired teargas Tuesday to disperse dozens of supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi who protested in downtown Cairo as the trial of the toppled leader was set to begin.
Dozens of pro-Morsi protesters gathered early on Tuesday at the High Court in downtown Cairo's busy Ramsis Street. Protesters hurled stones at riot police heavily stationed around the building, who responded by firing teargas.
A few miles away, supporters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement blocked the major Talaat Harb Street to traffic, prompting police to fire teargas to scatter them, Al-Ahram's Arabic news website reported.
Morsi was due to appear in court on Tuesday over charges of a jailbreak during the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak. This is Morsi's first public sighting since his November appearance in court over charges of inciting murder and violence against opposition protesters.
The Tuesday trial is being held amid heightened security in a makeshift courtroom at the Police Academy on the outskirts of Cairo.
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