US designates Muslim Brotherhood branches as terror groups

The US on Tuesday designated several Muslim Brotherhood chapters as terror organizations as part of President Donald Trump's national security agenda.

"Today, as a first step in support of President Trump's commitment to eliminate the capabilities and operations of Muslim Brotherhood chapters that pose a threat to the United States as described in Executive Order 14362, the United States is imposing terrorist designations against the Lebanese, Jordanian, and Egyptian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood," Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in a statement.

Rubio said, "The Department of State is designating the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), and the group's leader Muhammad Fawzi Taqqosh, as an SDGT."

Arguing that "the Department of the Treasury is designating the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood as SDGTs for providing material support to Hamas," Rubio argued that the move mirrors "the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Muslim Brotherhood chapters' violence and destabilization wherever it occurs."

"The United States will use all available tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism," he added.

The Treasury Department said in a separate statement that the move targets the group for support for "militant" organizations in the region.