Tunisian judge orders detention of opposition leader Ghannouchi

FILE PHOTO: Rached Ghannouchi, the head of Islamist Ennahda party and former speaker of the parliament, during an interview with Reuters at his office in Tunis, Tunisia, July 15, 2022. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

TUNIS (Reuters) -A Tunisian judge on Thursday ordered opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi be detained before his trial on charges of plotting against state security, his lawyer said, the latest move on opponents of President Kais Saied.

The 81-year-old head of the Islamist Ennahda party was the speaker of the elected parliament, which was shut down in 2021 by Saied when he seized all powers.