The Muslim Brotherhood Under U.S. Scrutiny in Europe: Mahmoud El-Ebary
The U.S. confrontation with the Muslim Brotherhood has entered a new phase. It is no longer limited to targeting the group’s branches and affiliates in the Middle East, but has expanded to Europe, with the United Kingdom, in particular, emerging as a central focus. The sanctions recently imposed by Washington on Mahmoud El-Ebary, secretary-general of the International Organization of the Muslim Brotherhood, do not appear to be an isolated measure. Rather, they reflect a broader strategic approach aimed at dismantling the financial and institutional infrastructure that enables the organization to maintain its activities across Europe.
On July 24, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced, through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), sanctions against El-Ebary, three individuals, and three entities, accusing the network of channeling significant funds to Hamas. The sanctions targeted an Indonesian-based company, a charitable organization in the Gaza Strip, and a commercial company based in Turkey. The department also accused El-Ebary, an Austrian national residing in London, of supporting fundraising campaigns for organizations previously designated by the United States over their links to Hamas, including the “Palestine Endowment” and “Hayat Yolo.”
The most significant aspect of these sanctions is Washington’s shift from targeting regional branches or affiliates to targeting a senior figure who operates from British territory and who, according to U.S. allegations, is connected to funding networks operating across several countries. London has therefore moved to the forefront of the issue, after Middle Eastern capitals had remained the main focus of efforts to address the organization’s activities for years.
Against this backdrop, the U.S. administration intends to open political discussions with Andy Burnham’s government once its security team has completed its reviews, while allowing London sufficient time to examine the decision and determine the measures compatible with its legal framework. According to a U.S. source familiar with the matter, the nature of the British response will be an important indicator of the level of future cooperation with Washington in addressing Muslim Brotherhood networks across Europe.
According to the same source, the U.S. administration does not view the latest sanctions as an isolated development, but rather as the beginning of a broader phase targeting leaders and front organizations that enable Muslim Brotherhood networks to operate across multiple countries. Washington is considering further measures that could target individuals and entities linked to these networks in several European countries. Each case is expected to be examined separately with the relevant government and in accordance with each country’s specific legal framework.
This approach places Burnham’s government before an early test in one of the most sensitive areas, giving it an additional reason to reassess the level of political and security monitoring of the organization’s networks within the United Kingdom. The report quotes a British journalist as saying that the real challenge does not lie in the organization’s overt activities, but in its ability to use charities, research centers, and human-rights platforms to expand its political presence, taking advantage of the use of multiple legal identities and the difficulty of tracing organizational links between these entities.
U.S. coordination could also extend beyond the United Kingdom, based on an approach that views Muslim Brotherhood networks in Europe as an interconnected system of intermediaries and front organizations rather than as separate entities operating independently in each country. From this perspective, political engagement with London and other European capitals is likely to take place in order to elevate the issue of Muslim Brotherhood networks within discussions on countering extremism. This would form part of a broader U.S. effort to build greater convergence among Western countries, while leaving each government to determine the appropriate measures in accordance with its domestic legislation.
The sanctions also have a direct practical dimension that goes beyond political messaging. They give the United States greater capacity to monitor financial transactions conducted in U.S. dollars or through American financial institutions. They also send a warning to institutions and individuals outside the United States about the risks of dealing with persons or entities listed under U.S. sanctions, potentially exposing them to secondary sanctions whose effects could extend into the international financial system.
It is now clear that the targeting of Mahmoud El-Ebary marks the beginning of a new phase in the U.S. approach to the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe. This approach focuses on dismantling the organization’s financial and institutional infrastructure rather than merely pursuing individual members. Given the presence of a number of the organization’s senior figures on British territory, the United Kingdom appears to be the starting point for this effort rather than its final destination. Political and security pressure is expected to extend to other European capitals in the coming months, with each country operating within its own legal framework, as part of a broader U.S. effort to establish a more coordinated Western approach to Muslim Brotherhood networks.
