President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing a review of Muslim Brotherhood chapters for foreign terrorist organizations (FTO) designations.
Trump’s order instructs Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to conduct a review in consultation with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Attorney General Pam Bondi as to whether the chapters should be designated as FTOs and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT).
The secretaries are to provide a report “on whether to designate any Muslim Brotherhood chapters, such as those in Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan, as FTOs,” per a White House fact sheet. The report is due within 30 days of Trump’s signing on Monday afternoon, per the order.
If appropriate, they are to designate any chapters as FTOs and SDGTs within 45 days of producing the report.
“The Order’s ultimate aim is to eliminate the designated chapters’ capabilities and operations, deprive them of resources, and end any threat such chapters pose to U.S. nationals and the national security of the United States,” the release notes.
Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counter Terrorism Sebastian Gorka lauded Trump’s executive order in a post on X.
“History has been made,” he wrote, adding;
Just moments ago, in the presence of my NSC colleague who helped author the Executive Order, President @realDonaldTrump designated multiple chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood, including the Egyptian branch which is the progenitor of all modern Jihadists, al Qaeda, ISIS and Hamas included.
As we left the Oval, President Trump explicitly instructed us to inform the World of his tectonic act.
The White House notes the Muslim Brotherhood’s involvement in aiding terror groups to fire rocket attacks on civilian and military targets in Israel following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack, as well as a leader of the Egyptian chapter’s encouragement of violence against U.S. allies in the region on the same day of the attack.
“Reports indicate Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood leaders have long provided material support to the militant wing of Hamas,” it added.
Read the full article here