Lebanese, Jordanian, and Egyptian chapters of Muslim Brotherhood were designated by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations.
The Trump administration has followed through on its stated goal of designating three branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations, sanctioning the groups and their members in accordance with President Donald Trump’s plan to strengthen national security.
The Lebanese, Jordanian, and Egyptian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood were designated by the U.S. State Department as foreign terrorist organizations on Jan. 13.
The designations are a first step in support of Trump’s November order that aims to eliminate chapters of the organization that pose security threats to the United States and its allies.
The group’s leader, Muhammad Fawzi Taqqosh, has also been named as a specially designated global terrorist.
The Department of the Treasury also named the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood as specially designated global terrorists for providing material support to the Hamas terrorist group.
“These designations reflect the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Muslim Brotherhood chapters’ violence and destabilization wherever it occurs,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Jan. 13. “The United States will use all available tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism.”
The State Department designated the Lebanese branch a foreign terrorist organization, the most extreme label, which makes providing support to the group a criminal offense.
The Jordanian and Egyptian branches were listed by the Treasury as specially designated global terrorists for providing support to Hamas.
“The Muslim Brotherhood has inspired, nurtured, and funded terrorist groups like Hamas, that are direct threats to the safety and security of the American people and our allies,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist and Financial Intelligence John Hurley in a statement.
Following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel, the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood, also known as al-Jamaa al-Islamiyah, reactivated its al-Fajr Forces and launched rockets in coordination with Hamas and the Hezbollah terrorist group from Lebanon into northern Israel.
