Morsi refuses to answer interrogators' questions on jailbreak

Egypt's ousted president Mohamed Morsi refused to answer interrogators' questions regarding charges that he had illegally broken out of jail during Egypt's 2011 January revolution, Morsi's son has said.

Morsi was questioned on Sunday at Alexandria's Burg al-Arab Prison.

He remains detained at the prison pending trial on charges that he incited the killing of demonstrators late last year and broke out of jail – and helped others escape – during the 2011 uprising that toppled longstanding autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

"During the one-hour interrogation session, the president refused to answer questions and emphasized that he did not recognize [the legality of] the interrogation," Osama, Morsi's elder son, who attended the interrogation in his capacity as lawyer, told Anadolu Agency.

Osama said the interrogation had been "forcibly" conducted in Morsi's prison cell.

"The president reasserted that he is the legitimate president of the country and refused the military coup perpetrated against him," he said, referring to his father's July 3 ouster by the military following massive demonstrations against his presidency.

"The president has not appointed anyone to defend him because the interrogation violates the constitution and [democratic] legitimacy," he added.

Morsi was flown to the maximum-security facility last week after appearing in court with seven other defendants to answer charges that they had incited the murder of demonstrators outside Cairo's Ittihadiya presidential palace last year.