CAIRO – 16 March 2026: The Official Gazette published on Monday a decision issued by Counselor Dr. Tarek Abu Zeid, Head of the Office for Regulating Terrorist Entities and Terrorist Lists, to permanently add Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh Abdel Hadi Abu Saad, El-Sayed Mahmoud Ezzat Ibrahim Ibrahim, and Moaz Nagah Mansour Mansour El-Sharkawy to the national terrorist list. This follows a final and binding judgment against them.
According to Law No. 8 of 2015 on Terrorist Entities, the legal consequences of adding defendants to the terrorist lists include:
- Placement on travel ban and arrival watch lists; for foreigners, a ban on entering the country.
- Prohibition from appointment or contracting in public sector jobs, public sector companies, or public business sector companies.
- Withdrawal or cancellation of passports, and a prohibition on issuing or renewing them.
- Suspension from work with half-pay.
- Suspension of membership in professional syndicates and on boards of directors of companies, associations, and institutions.
- Loss of the "good reputation and character" status required for holding public, parliamentary, or local office.
- Freezing of funds or other assets belonging to the designated individual.
- Prohibition of engaging in any civil or advocacy activities under any name.
- Prohibition of financing or collecting funds or items for the designated individual, whether directly or indirectly, and a prohibition on the individual receiving funds.
Decision No. 2 of 2026 was based on Law No. 8 of 2015 concerning the regulation of terrorist entities and terrorist lists (and its subsequent amendments), and on Listing Decision No. 1 of 2021 issued by the Cairo Criminal Court (Circuit 12) in January 2021. The decision was supported by a ruling issued by the Cairo Criminal Court on May 29, 2022, which was ratified on January 9, 2023.
The case of spreading false news
In May 2022, the Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, Mahmoud Ezzat (the acting Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood), and six others to 15 years of imprisonment. The court also sentenced 15 defendants to life imprisonment and two others to 10 years of imprisonment on charges of spreading false news.
The defendants faced charges of leading a terrorist group that aimed to use force, violence, and threats. They were also charged with financing terrorism by collecting and receiving money and weapons for the group with the intention of using them to commit crimes.
Furthermore, they were found to have deliberately broadcast, both abroad and at home, false news, statements, and rumors regarding the country's internal situation, indirectly promoting the commission of terrorist crimes through their rhetoric.
On December 25, 2013, the Egyptian government declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization following acts of violence targeting state institutions and personnel after the June 30 Revolution. On February 24, 2014, the Cairo Court for Urgent Matters issued a ruling designating the group as a terrorist organization, banning its activities and confiscating its headquarters.
In 2016, court rulings formally included the group on terrorism lists with renewable timeframes. Subsequent rulings from criminal courts and the Court of Cassation have upheld the inclusion of the group and its leaders, rejecting all appeals.
In December 2024, the Cairo Criminal Court renewed the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a “terrorist entity” for another five years.
International designations
Other countries have also designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group, including the United States. In January, the Trump administration labeled three Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organizations, imposing sanctions on them and their members.
The Treasury and State departments stated that the Lebanese, Jordanian, and Egyptian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood pose a risk to the United States and American interests.
"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 obtained by The Associated Press. "The United States will use all available tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism."
Egypt welcomed the United States' announcement, describing the move as a “significant step” that reflects the danger posed by the group’s extremist ideology and the direct threat it presents to regional and international security.
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