The military has a small window of time in an incredibly difficult situation to get things under control. It does not look good for the Egyptian people if they fail.
Former president Mohamed Morsi is being held at a military facility “for his own security,” the armed forces said on Saturday.
Spokesman for the armed forces Colonel Ahmed Ali said that due to the current instability in the country, Morsi would be held for his own safety until the situation stabilises.
The United States echoed Germany’s call for Morsi’s release on Saturday.
Jen Psaki, spokesperson for the US State Department said on Friday that the US agrees that Morsi should be released. The public announcement came on the same day that German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called for Morsi’s release. Psaki stopped short of saying that the US would recognise Morsi as Egypt’s legitimate president, saying that it is the Egyptian people who will decide the future of Egypt.
Ali declined to respond directly to these calls, saying that it is a political issue and “the armed forces are not involved in political issues.” He added that this is an issue for the presidency to respond to.
On the other hand, they appear to be readying a case against him:
(Reuters) – Egypt’s public prosecutor’s office said on Saturday it had received complaints accusing deposed President Mohamed Mursi and other senior leaders of his Muslim Brotherhood of spying, inciting killings of protesters and damaging the economy.
The prosecutor’s office said in a statement it was investigating the complaints to prepare a file to allow those accused to be questioned.