The United States has imposed sanctions on Mahmoud al-Abyari, a London-based Muslim Brotherhood figure with Egyptian and Austrian citizenship, alleging he helped raise funds for Hamas. Washington said al-Abyari has been denied entry to the U.S. and will have any U.S.-based assets frozen under terrorism-related authorities.
U.S. Treasury Statement
A U.S. Treasury statement said the action aims to disrupt networks that move money to Hamas, naming charities and trading firms it calls "sham charities" and underground banking operators. The statement identified al-Abyari as the secretary general of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and as Secretary General of the Muslim Brotherhood General Secretariat, and accused him of raising funds for organisations already under sanction, including the Turkish charities Filistin Vakfi and Hayat Yolu.
Additional Sanctions
The Treasury also sanctioned Indonesia-based Tujah Bulah Global (also known as Seven Spikes Global) and the Gaza-based Madad Palestine Charitable Society, which it described as conduits that channelled funds to Hamas’s military wing. It targeted Türkiye-based El-Kahira For General Trading and three individuals linked to the company, alleging the firm provided underground banking services—including both fiat and cryptocurrency transfers—to networks connected to Hamas financing.
Background And Reactions
The Arab Spring gave Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood a brief shot at power before the group's senior official Mohamed Morsi was ousted as president in 2013 - MAHMOUD KHALED
The move is likely to increase pressure on the UK government to adopt a firmer approach toward the Muslim Brotherhood. Britain has not proscribed the Brotherhood or designated it a terrorist organisation; by contrast, the group is banned in several countries including Egypt and Jordan. The U.S. has previously designated certain Brotherhood branches—in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Sudan—as terrorist entities.
Robin Simcox, the UK’s former counter-extremism commissioner, welcomed the sanctions and urged the British government to address the Brotherhood more proactively. The measures also create a political test for local and national politicians, observers said, as ties and rhetoric around the Israel-Gaza conflict shape domestic and international policy discussions.
On Hamas And The Brotherhood
Hamas is widely viewed as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood; its Palestinian branch was formed in Gaza by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin before the establishment of the militant organisation. Brotherhood officials have long disputed direct operational links. In a 2016 parliamentary inquiry, then-UK-based acting leader Ibrahim Mounir said Hamas had "no shared operational or administrative functions" with the Brotherhood and rejected violence as a method of political change.
What This Means
U.S. officials say the sanctions are intended to crack down on financial networks that disguise transfers through charitable fronts and underground banking. The designations will bar the named parties from the U.S. financial system, freeze any U.S. assets and generally restrict their international transactions. The Treasury statement also referenced alleged connections between some sanctioned networks and organised criminal groups previously accused of facilitating arms trafficking and violent attacks in Europe.
