Son of Muslim Brotherhood preacher extradited from Lebanon to UAE

The United Arab Emirates has detained the son of the late spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood movement following his extradition from Lebanon, state media reported Friday.

Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi, who was arrested in Lebanon after crossing into the country from Syria on December 28, faces charges of "activities that aim to stir and undermine public security", the WAM state news agency reported.

It added that Qaradawi had been taken into custody.

Lebanon announced on Tuesday that it had agreed to extradite Qaradawi, who was also wanted in his native Egypt.

"The UAE unequivocally reiterates its firm stance against anyone who targets its security and stability, and affirms that it will relentlessly pursue any individual who poses a threat to national security and take all necessary legal measures," WAM said.

Qaradawi's arrest in Lebanon was linked to an Egyptian ruling sentencing him to five years' jail on charges of "opposing the state and inciting terrorism", Lebanese authorities said.

After the December 28 arrest, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates requested his extradition, according to a judicial official.

Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary told a news conference on Tuesday that the cabinet had decided Qaradawi would be sent to the UAE.

A judicial official said the UAE request was based on a video Qaradawi had posted online celebrating the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad last month and calling for "victory" in other countries.

In the video, Qaradawi also warns Syrians of "malicious regimes" in "the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt".

The Lebanese official said the Emiratis considered it "incitement" against the UAE and an attempt to "destabilise" the Gulf country.

Human Rights Watch said Wednesday that Qaradawi would not get a fair trial in the UAE and could be "tortured" in detention there.

Qaradawi, who is also a poet, is the son of Sunni scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood which is blacklisted as a "terrorist group" in both Egypt and the UAE.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi was imprisoned several times in Egypt over his links to the Muslim Brotherhood. He died in 2022 after decades in exile in Qatar.

Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi was a political organiser against the government of longtime Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled in 2011 in the Arab Spring uprising.