Morsi goes on trial over espionage allegations

An Egyptian court on Jan. 15 put ex-president Mohammed Morsi on trial over accusations of spying and leaking information to Qatar. Prosecutors, as part of the country's continued crack down on Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, allege that Morsi endangered national security by leaking to Qatar state secrets and documents that exposed the location of Egyptian weapons and revealed a portion of the country's foreign and domestic policies. Egypt's relationship with Qatar has been strained since Qatar continued to support Morsi and Islamists after the his ouster in July 2013. Since taking over after Morsi, current President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has instituted an intense national security campaign against Islamists.

From Jurist, Feb. 15. Used with permission.

Qatar breaks relations with Egypt over Libya claims

Qatar has recalled its ambassador to Egypt in response to Cairo's accusations that Doha is supporting “terrorism.” The dispute arose amid statement to the Arab League concerning Cairo’s air strikes on jihadist targets in Libya. The Arab League expressed its "complete understanding" over the Egyptian action and threw its weight behind Cairo's call for a lifting of the arms embargo on the Libyan army. But at a subsequent Arab League meeting, Qatar expressed reservations over the attack, prompting the Egyptian accusation. The Gulf Cooperation Council issued a statement saying it “rejects accusations by Egypt's permanent envoy at the Arab League that Qatar supports terrorism.” (Al Arabiya News, Reuters)