Trump Targets Muslim Brotherhood Chapters

US President Donald Trump has ordered officials to investigate whether certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood should be designated as terrorist groups. This move could result in economic and travel restrictions on the group.

His executive order on Monday directed his top aides to prepare a report examining whether branches in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan should be designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

The order cites the group's alleged ties to Hamas and "destabilizing campaigns that harm their territories, the citizens of the United States, and the interests of the United States."

The Muslim Brotherhood, formed nearly 100 years ago, is banned in Jordan and Egypt.

The executive order directs US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant to consult with Attorney General Pam Bondi and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard and to prepare a report within 30 days.

It then gives US officials 45 days to impose a ban if they find it appropriate.

This designation, which Trump can order at any time, makes it illegal to support the group. It also imposes economic sanctions and bans its members from entering the US.

"President Trump is confronting the Muslim Brotherhood's transnational network, which promotes a campaign of terrorism and destabilization against US interests and allies in the Middle East," the White House said in a statement.

Last week, the governor of Texas designated the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization and a transnational criminal organization.

The Texas order grants the same status to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim advocacy group in the US, and prohibits both groups from purchasing land in the state.

The Brotherhood was founded nearly 100 years ago in Egypt and has local branches around the world. Each chapter has a different ideology, and one of its goals is to establish a state governed by Islamic law, or Sharia.

Trump considered designating the group a terrorist organization during his first term after meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. It is illegal in Egypt and several Arab countries, whose governments consider it a threat.

In April, Jordan banned the group after arresting members suspected of planning rocket and drone attacks.