WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Tuesday designated three branches of the Muslim Brotherhood operating in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon respectively as terrorist organizations.
In a statement, the U.S. Department of the Treasury accused the Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood of providing material support to Hamas.
"The Muslim Brotherhood has inspired, nurtured, and funded terrorist groups like Hamas, that are direct threats to the safety and security of the American people and our allies," said U.S. Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John. K. Hurley in the statement.
In a concurrent action, the U.S. Department of State designated the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood, also known as Jamaa Islamiya, as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), while listing the group's leader, Muhammad Fawzi Taqqosh, as an SDGT, the statement added.
The decision will allow the U.S. authorities to freeze any assets of the designated groups under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with them, according to the statement.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in November to launch the process of designating these units of Muslim Brotherhood branches as FTOs and SDGTs.
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, has evolved into a transnational network with chapters across the Middle East and beyond. It was previously banned in Egypt and Jordan. ■