Security forces have been placed on high alert as former Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi has arrived in court in Cairo today to stand trial.

Mr Morsi, along with 14 other members of the Muslim Brotherhood party, are accused of stoking the violence that led to the killing of at least 10 protesters in clashes outside the presidential palace in December 2012. If convicted, Mr Morsi could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Morsi, Egypt's first ever elected president, was ousted in July in a coup that saw Egyptain army general Abdul Fattah el-Sisi. There are fears the trial could unleash a new wave of violence in the North African nation as supporters of the former president have today called for mass protests.

As a precaution the government has deployed security at key venues, and also moved the trial from its original location at Tora prison to the Cairo police academy. Court proceedings will not be televised, and Mr Morsi is likely to forgo a lawyer and instead represent himself during the trial.

Written and presented by Alfred Joyner