CAIRO — Security officials in Egypt say a former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood has been referred to trial on charges of insulting the judiciary. The officials said 85-year-old Mahdi Akef was referred to a criminal court Saturday. No date for the trial has been set. Akef was arrested in July as part of a wide government crackdown against the Brotherhood following the July 3 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi. Akef already faces charges of allegedly inciting violence. The new case comes from when Akef called the judiciary "sick" and "corrupt" in April during the height of a power struggle between Morsi and the judiciary. He later tried to distance himself from the remarks. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists. Meanwhile, a Al-Qaeda leader has urged Islamists in Egypt to unite under the banner of religion to rid the country of the rule of the military, saying it is fighting a war against Islam. In a 17-minute video posted on the Internet, Ayman Al-Zawahri blasted the Egyptian military, calling its leader "the Americanized butcher of the military coup." He said the military has colluded with the US, Israel, secular movements and Christians against Islam. — Agencies
