CAIRO, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian court on Tuesday issued a ruling enlisting 16 persons including head of Strong Egypt Party and former presidency candidate Abdel-Moneim Aboul-Fotouh on the lists of terrorists, official news agency MENA reported.

Investigations revealed that the 16 persons had joined an outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group that is seeking to undermine the interests of the Egyptian State, the prosecution said.

Aboul-Fotouh has already ordered detention for 15 days pending investigation over accusations of spreading rumors that harm national interests and leading a banned group that is seeking to block the rulings of the constitution and laws along with hampering the State institutions from undertaking their work.

The group is also seeking to harm national unity and societal peace, according to the prosecution memorandum.

Aboul-Fotouh and several other politicians have called for a boycott of next month's presidency election.

Aboul-Fotouh said he quit the Brotherhood in 2011, following the ouster of veteran President Hosni Mubarak, and ran in the 2012 presidential election as an independent candidate.

Egypt starts its 2018 presidential elections scheduled for late March, where incumbent President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is expected to make an easy win for a second term due to the lack of strong rivals in the race.