The US is joining Germany in calling for the release of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki says the US agrees with the German Foreign Ministry, which yesterday called for an "end to all restrictive measures considering Mursi".

Mr Mursi was ousted on July 3 by the military following a wave of protests calling on him to step down.

The Islamist leader has been kept at an undisclosed Defence Ministry facility since then, but no formal charges have been filed.

Ms Psaki did not elaborate on why the US is calling for his release. She noted that the US has expressed concerns all along about politically motivated, arbitrary arrests of members of the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Mr Mursi hails.

Meanwhile President Barack Obama has discussed the crisis in Egypt with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, a Middle East powerhouse.

The White House says Mr Obama told King Abdullah he was concerned about violence in Egypt and the need for an inclusive, democratic process to return a civilian government.

After Egypt's military toppled Islamist President Mohammed Mursi, King Abdullah sent the military a congratulations message. The Gulf nation has also pledged 5 billion US dollars  in post-coup aid to Egypt.