Egyptian court seeks death sentence for former president Mursi

CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian court on Saturday sought the death sentence for former president Mohamed Mursi and more than 100 other members of the Muslim Brotherhood in connection with a mass jail break in 2011. The court also sought capital punishment for Brotherhood leader Khairat el-Shater and 15 others for conspiring with foreign militant groups against Egypt. The cases, like any capital sentences, will be referred to Egypt's top religious authority, the Grand Mufti, for an opinion before any executions can take place. Mursi, who was overthrown by the army after mass protests against his rule in 2013, stood defiant in a court cage in a blue prison outfit pumping his fists in the air before the sentences were read out. Human rights groups have accused Egyptian authorities of widespread abuses in a crackdown on Brotherhood supporters as well as secular activists, allegations they deny.