Cairo, Dec 21 (IANS): Egypt's ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi was Saturday referred to a criminal court over a 2011 prison break.

Morsi will stand trial along with more than 130 other Muslim Brotherhood activists and members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas for storming the Wady al-Natroun prison and kidnapping and killing police officers during the 2011 uprising that toppled his predecessor Hosni Mubarak, Xinhua reported.

This is the third time that Morsi has been referred to a criminal court as he faces additional charges related to inciting violence and murdering protesters outside the presidential palace in early December 2012.

He will also be tried on espionage charges along with Brotherhood chief Mohamed Badei and Badei's two deputies Khairat al-Shater and Mahmoud Ezzat, former parliament speaker Saad al-Katatni and others.

These Islamist leaders were accused of spying and leaking classified military information to foreign agencies including the Hamas as well as financing terrorism.

Morsi has been detained since his ouster in early July by the military. Later, other top Brotherhood leaders were arrested in sweeping nationwide raids.