Arab League Informed Members Egypt Declared Brotherhood A ‘Terrorist’ Group

The Arab League said on Monday it has officially informed member nations of Egypt’s designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a “terrorist group.”

Egypt’s permanent commission at the league submitted on December 26 a memorandum of Cairo’s decision to declare the Islamist movement of deposed president Mohamed Morsi a “terrorist group,” a statement by the 21-member bloc said.

“Egyptian authorities will take necessary measures in accordance with the Arab anti-terrorism agreement and the Arab money-laundering and terrorism-funding agreement in cooperation and liaison with the sisterly Arab nations,” the statement said.

The bloc’s General Secretariat has advised all of its member countries of the decision, but Libya, Tunisia, Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar have said the decision was an internal political matter for Egypt.

The government declared Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group last week following a car bombing that targeted a police headquarters in Mansoura, killing 16.

The Brotherhood had condemned the attack, which was claimed by the Sinai-based militant Islamist group Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis.

The move will allow authorities to toughen its five-month crackdown on the 85-year-old Islamist group, which propelled Morsi to power 18 months ago.

Hundreds of its supporters have been killed and thousands others, including its top leaders, have been arrested.

Source : Ahram