Egypt's deposed president Mohamed Morsi has appeared in court on the first day of his trial for incitement to murder, rejecting its legitimacy and demanding "coup" leaders be prosecuted.
In his first public appearance since the military toppled him in July, Morsi was indignant and outraged as he attended the courtroom at a police academy in east Cairo. The trial was adjourned to January 8.
Monday's hearing lasted nearly three hours and the judge heard requests from the defendants' lawyers, who demanded to see all the case files and be allowed to meet their clients privately.
After that Morsi, who had been kept in secret detention since July, was flown to the Borg al-Arab prison outside the second city of Alexandria.
Morsi and 14 co-defendants are accused of inciting violence and the murder of protesters outside his presidential palace in December, charges that could lead to the death penalty or life in prison.
"I am Dr Mohamed Morsi, the president of the republic ... This court is illegal," Morsi told the court.
The Islamist leader branded as criminal his overthrow by the army on July 3 after mass protests against his single year of turbulent rule.
"This was a military coup. The leaders of the coup should be tried. A coup is treason and a crime."
Morsi, wearing a dark blue suit, was brought to court by helicopter that touched down nearby and then driven to the heavily fortified police academy.
State television aired footage showing Morsi smiling as he stepped out of a white van, buttoning his blue blazer and entering the dock to applause from fellow defendants dressed in white prison uniforms.
Muslim Brotherhood co-defendants Essam al-Erian and Mohammed al-Beltagui chanted "Down with military rule" at the hearing.
Judge Ahmed Sabry Youssef banned cameras and recording equipment from the courtroom.
Morsi's supporters, battered by a bloody and sweeping police crackdown, accuse the army-installed government of fabricating the charges against him.
They held anti-military rallies across Cairo, including outside the police academy where dozens brandished posters of Morsi and signs bearing anti-military messages. Thousands also protested in front of the constitutional court.
Morsi's trial is seen as a test for Egypt's new authorities, who have come under fire for their heavy-handedness.
With more than 1000 people killed since Morsi's overthrow and thousands of Islamists arrested, hopes for a political settlement are slim in Egypt.
