London-based leader of Muslim Brotherhood sanctioned by US for 'helping to fundraise for Hamas'

The United States has imposed sanctions on a London-based Muslim Brotherhood leader accused of raising funds for Hamas, mounting pressure on the UK Government to take a tougher stance.

The US Treasury Department yesterday announced that Mahmoud al-Abyari, an Egyptian-Austrian dual national, has been designated under US sanctions.

The measures include freezing any assets under US jurisdiction, and barring him from entering the United States.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the action formed part of the Trump administration's commitment to disrupting terrorist financing networks, both at home and overseas.

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He said: "The Trump Administration will relentlessly pursue terrorists and those who finance them.

"Whether operating under the guise of charities, businesses, or underground financial networks, those who enable Hamas will be exposed, sanctioned, and held accountable."

According to the Treasury Department, al-Abyari serves as secretary general of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, and secretary general of the Muslim Brotherhood General Secretariat.

US officials allege he raised funds for organisations already subject to US sanctions, including the Turkey-based charities Filistin Vakfi and Hayat Yolu.

The department designated the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity earlier this year.

The sanctions are likely to intensify debate over the Muslim Brotherhood's status in Britain.

While the movement has been banned in Egypt and Jordan and ruled a terrorist organisation, the UK has not yet outlawed the group.

Meanwhile, the United States has designated several Muslim Brotherhood branches, including those in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Sudan, as terrorist entities.

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Robin Simcox, the UK's former commissioner for countering extremism, welcomed the US action, and urged the British Government to adopt a more proactive approach.

He told the Times: "We cannot just rely on Washington to take action regarding an issue that, first and foremost, is one in our own backyard", adding that he had repeatedly recommended stronger action.

Hamas is widely regarded by analysts as having originated from the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Its founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, established the Brotherhood's presence in Gaza before founding Hamas in the late 1980s.

However, Brotherhood officials have previously denied any operational relationship with the militant group.

In evidence to a UK parliamentary inquiry in 2016, the Brotherhood's then acting leader, Ibrahim Mounir, said Hamas shared "no operational or administrative functions" with the organisation, and stated that the Brotherhood did not endorse violence as a means of political change.

Alongside al-Abyari, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against several organisations and individuals it alleges to have supported Hamas financially.

These include Indonesia-based Tujah Bulah Global, also known as Seven Spikes Global, and the Gaza-based Madad Palestine Charitable Society - which US officials described as "sham charities" used to channel money to Hamas's military wing.

The Treasury also sanctioned Turkey-based trading company El-Kahira for General Trading, along with its owner and two shareholders.

US authorities allege the company operated underground banking services involving both conventional currencies and cryptocurrencies, facilitating financial transfers linked to Hamas and criminal networks, including Sweden's Foxtrot Network.

The US has previously accused the Foxtrot Network of involvement in organised crime, and of assisting Iranian operations targeting Israeli and Jewish interests in Europe.

Combined, the sanctions form part of Washington's broader effort to disrupt financial infrastructure, which officials say supports Hamas and other designated terrorist organisations.

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