|
The United States on Thursday (local time) imposed sanctions on a senior Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood official, three individuals and three entities accused of providing financial and material support to Hamas in a move aimed at disrupting the group's global fundraising and financial infrastructure.
The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a press statement the action targets networks that allegedly operated through charitable fronts, businesses and underground banking channels to raise and transfer funds for Hamas, which Washington designates as a terrorist organisation. According to the Treasury Department, two of the sanctioned entities functioned as sham charities that collected donations purportedly for humanitarian purposes but allegedly diverted the funds to Hamas's military wing. The sanctions also target a Turkiye-based trading company and its owners for allegedly transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars for Hamas and providing underground banking services involving both fiat currency and cryptocurrencies. Among those designated is Mahmoud al-Abyari, a UK-based senior leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, whom the Treasury accused of supporting fundraising efforts for organisations previously sanctioned over links to Hamas. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration would continue to pursue individuals and organisations that finance terrorist groups, regardless of whether they operate under the guise of charities, businesses or informal financial networks. The Treasury said the latest sanctions build on earlier measures announced in January and March 2026 targeting Hamas's global financial facilitators, operatives and front organisations. It added that the action was coordinated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Under the sanctions, all property and interests in property of the designated individuals and entities that are subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. (ANI)
|
