Egypt TV Says Ousted President Morsi Dies in Court

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi holds a news conference with Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, at the Presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt on July 13, 2012. Maya Alleruzzo/File Photo via AP

CAIRO—Egypt’s state TV says the country’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi has collapsed during a court session and died.

The state TV says the 67-year-old Morsi was attending a session on Monday, June 17, when he blacked out and then died. His body was taken to a hospital, it said.

Morsi was in court for a hearing on charges of espionage emanating from suspected contacts with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, the state TV reported.

Egypt's deposed President Mohamed Morsi greets his lawyers and people from behind bars at a court wearing the red uniform of a prisoner sentenced to death, during his court appearance with Muslim Brotherhood members on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt on June 21, 2015. Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo via Reuters

Morsi was serving a 20-year prison sentence for a conviction arising from the killing of protesters during demonstrations in 2012 and a life sentence for espionage in a case related to the Gulf state of Qatar.

The military ousted Morsi in 2013 after massive protests and crushed the Brotherhood in a major crackdown, arresting Morsi and many others of the group’s leaders.

Former Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi looks on during his appearance in court on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt on June 2, 2015. Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo via Reuters

Morsi, who hailed from Egypt’s largest Islamist group, the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, was elected president in 2012 in the country’s first free elections following the ouster the year before of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.

Reuters contributed to this article.