Trump signs an order classifying branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist groups

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent to begin designating certain branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

The order, which cites the Immigration and Nationality Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, cites the group’s involvement in violence across the Middle East, including rocket attacks on Israel following the October 7, 2023, attack.

The move begins a 30-day review led by the Departments of State and Treasury to identify Muslim Brotherhood affiliates in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon for possible designation, which could lead to asset freezes, travel restrictions, and criminalization of material support for affiliated entities.

“The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, has evolved into a transnational network with branches throughout the Middle East and beyond,” Trump’s executive order said. “In this regard, its affiliates in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt engage in, facilitate, or support campaigns of violence and destabilization that harm their territories, U.S. citizens, and U.S. interests.

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“For example, following the October 7, 2023 attack in Israel, the military wing of the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood joined with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian factions to launch multiple rocket attacks against civilian and military targets inside Israel,” the order continues. “A senior leader of the Egyptian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, on October 7, 2023, called for violent attacks against U.S. partners and interests, and Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood leaders have long provided material support to the armed wing of Hamas.

“Such activities threaten the security of American civilians in the Levant and other parts of the Middle East, as well as the safety and stability of our regional partners,” the order noted.

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Trump indicated over the weekend that he plans to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization after several groups intensified their warnings in recent months that the Islamist group was gaining a foothold in the United States.

“This will be done in the strongest and strongest terms,” Trump said. He just told the news During the weekend. “Final documents are being prepared.”

The president’s comment came shortly after the state of Texas declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, and just days after the Institute for the Study of Anti-Semitism and Global Politics (ISGAP), a prominent global think tank, released a comprehensive 200-page study warning of the Muslim Brotherhood’s growing influence in the United States.

The Islamist organization, founded in Egypt, gained access to government agencies, was involved in advising US civil rights policy, infiltrated educational institutions, and created an extensive social media footprint, the report said, outlining the belief that the group targeted US government agencies for infiltration, including the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice, through professional appointments and advisory roles.

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

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