Trump signs order to designate Muslim Brotherhood chapters as terrorist groups

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to designate certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

The order, which invokes the Immigration and Nationality Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, cites the group’s involvement in violence around the world. Middle Eastincluding rocket attacks on Israel after the October 7, 2023 attack.

The move begins a 30-day review led by the Departments of State and Treasury to identify Brotherhood chapters in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon for possible designation, which could freeze assets, restrict travel, and criminalize material support for affiliates.

“Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood has developed into a transnational network with chapters in the Middle East and beyond,” Trump’s executive order reads. “Relevant here is that the chapters in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt are engaged in or facilitate and support violence and destabilization campaigns that harm their own regions, American citizens and American interests.

TRUMP DESIGNATES IRANIAN-SUPPORTED HOUTHIS AS TERRORISTS AGAIN: ‘THREATENED[S] SAFETY OF AMERICAN CITIZENS

“For example, in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, the military wing of the Lebanese chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood joined Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian factions to conduct multiple rocket attacks on both civilian and military targets inside Israel,” the order continues. “A senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Egyptian chapter called for violent attacks on United States partners and interests on October 7, 2023, and Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood leaders have long provided material support to the militant wing of Hamas.

“Such activities threaten the security of U.S. citizens in the Levant and other parts of the Middle East, as well as the security and stability of our regional partners,” the order said.

GOP BILL SEEKS TO BAN AND DEPORT VISA HOLDERS WHO SUPPORT HAMAS AMID SQUARE OF ANTI-SEMITIC VIOLENCE IN AMERICA

Trump announced last weekend that he planned to appoint the president Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization after several groups stepped up warnings in recent months that the Islamist group was gaining a foothold in the US

“It will be done in the strongest and strongest terms,” Trump said told Just the News during the weekend. “Final documents are being prepared.”

The president’s comment came shortly after Texas declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization and just days after the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), a leading global research center, published a comprehensive 200-page study warning of the growing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the US.

The Islamic organization founded in Egypt has gained access to government agencies, been involved in advising U.S. civil rights policy, infiltrated educational institutions and created a massive social media footprint, the report said. Ministry of Foreign Affairsthe Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, through career appointments and advisory roles.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“We welcome President Trump’s statements and the growing recognition that the Muslim Brotherhood, its ideology and network pose a serious challenge to the United States and democratic societies,” Charles Asher Small, executive director of ISGAP, said in a press release following Trump’s interview with Just the News.

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.