The Middle East news portal Al-Monitor is reporting that Egyptian authorities are coordinating with Arab Gulf countries in an attempt to arrest and extradite fugitive members of the Muslim Brotherhood. According to the report:
March 26, 2014 CAIRO — Egyptian security authorities are coordinating with Arab Gulf countries to track the activities of Muslim Brotherhood members and arrest them on charges of standing behind the violence that has spread throughout Egypt.Maj. Gen. Sayed Shafiq, assistant interior minister for public security, told Al-Monitor, “We began taking measures to apprehend Muslim Brotherhood members whose hands were tainted with blood and who were involved in acts of violence, whether they be inside or outside Egypt.”
Furthermore, Egyptian security services announced on March 12 that the Egyptian public prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, received a communique indicating the arrest of two Brotherhood leaders, Akram al-Shaer and Mohammed al-Kabouti, in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. This came as a result of the prosecutor general’s statements and accusations of their involvement in the violent incidents that the country fell victim to after the June 30 revolution.
“There is palpable cooperation by Gulf countries — particularly Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait — to hand over Muslim Brotherhood fugitives located on their soil, pursuant to special criminal extradition agreements. It is worth noting that the security forces communicated with six Arab nations, requesting the arrest and extradition of 28 Brotherhood leaders who fled to these states after the events of June 30,” said Shafiq.
Despite the clear support given by Qatar to the Muslim Brotherhood, and its hosting of a great many of their leaders following the events of June 30, Shafiq said Egypt was still seeking fugitives from Qatar. “There are ongoing negotiations, through Interpol and the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, for Qatar to hand over fugitives. Legal procedures will be followed in accordance with international norms to extradite them from any country.”
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The GMBDW has been comprehensively covering the increasing pressure faced by the Muslim Brotherhood in the Gulf countries including:
- The decision by Saudi Arabia to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a a terrorist organization
- The withdrawal by Egypt of its ambassador from Qatar over its support of the Muslim Brotherhood
- The withdrawal by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates of heir envoys to Qatar
- The troubles of Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi who has been antagonizing Gulf rulers with his increasingly strident criticisms
- The trials of Muslim Brotherhood leaders and cadre in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- The actions taken by Saudi Arabia of late against the Muslim Brotherhood
- The increasingly difficult situation faced by the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait.