CAIRO, Feb 22 (Aswat Masriya) – Egypt's top prosecutor Hisham Barakat referred to trial 215 individuals on Sunday for forming armed groups under the name of "Helwan Brigades".

The prosecution said in a statement that an investigation revealed that "leaders from the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood organisation developed a terrorist scheme from inside prison that aims to topple the regime."

The prosecution said the directives were taken to members of the Brotherhood outside prison. Upon the orders, three committees in Egypt's capital Cairo and its twin city Giza were formed with the task of establishing armed groups.

According to the prosecution the armed groups, include Brotherhood, Anti-Coup Alliance and Ultras groups members, "in addition to criminals."

The purpose of the armed groups was to carry out operations against police personnel and facilities and vandalise private and public property, especially electricity infrastructure, the prosecution said.

Currently, 125 of the defendants are in custody and the rest are wanted.

According to the investigation, gatherings were organised and called for by the Anti-Coup Alliance through its Facebook pages in order to provide a "cover for members of the armed groups" while carrying out "hostilities," including the murders of several police personnel.  

The Anti-Coup Alliance, is a coalition of groups that includes the Brotherhood, which has called for dozens of protests in objection to the ouster of Brotherhood politician and former president Mohamed Mursi.

Mursi, like the wide majority of Brotherhood leaders and prominent figures, sits behind bars and is facing multiple trials. He was removed by the military in July 2013, after mass protests against his rule.  

Documents detailing the aforementioned "terrorist scheme" were found in the possession of Brotherhood leaders in custody and ceased, the prosecution said.  

It added in its statement that 51 of the defendants confessed during the investigation that they joined the armed groups and carried out the hostilities cited by the prosecution, as well as the possession of arms and explosives.

The Brotherhood has faced a crackdown since Mursri's outser, with thousands of Brotherhood members and supporters facing arrests and hundreds of protesters killed in confrontations with security forces.

Egypt listed the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation in December 2013 and insists it is behind the stringent wave of militancy which has targeted security personnel since Mursi's ouster. The Brotherhood continuously denies the accusations.