Mubarak, 85, is being retried on charges linked to the killings of hundreds of protesters during the massive 2011 uprising that ended his longtime autocratic rule. The court cited national security considerations in its decision to close next month’s sessions.

It was his second appearance in the court since his release from Cairo's Tora prison last month.

He was convicted in June last year of complicity in the deaths of protesters and sentenced to life in prison, but a retrial was ordered in January after he appealed.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of death.

Mubarak has been held under house arrest at a military hospital since he left Tora jail last month.

Mubarak's ouster was a pivotal moment in Islamic Awakening uprisings that in Egypt led to the election of an Islamist government, which itself lasted only a year before the military toppled former president Mohamed Morsi.

The overthrow of Morsi triggered nation-wide protests followed by Egyptian army bloody crackdown on protesters leaving more than 1000 dead.

The massacre sparked international condemnation and prompted world bodies to call for an independent investigation into the violence.

RA/HH