Egypt trial of 545 set for verdict, lawyer says

— A defense lawyer in the trial in southern Egypt of more than 500 defendants accused of committing acts of violence in reaction to the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi says the judge has declared he will issue a verdict after only two sessions.

Lawyer Khaled el-Koumi said the presiding judge in the court in Minya, about 137 miles south of Cairo, angrily refused defense demands at the Saturday opening session to postpone the case until they could review documents. He set Monday for the verdict.

The trial of 545 alleged members of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood is one of the largest trials in a crackdown on the group and its allies since Morsi was ousted in July following mass protests against him. El-Koumi said 423 are tried in absentia.

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