UAE places 11 individuals, 8 UK-based entities on 'terror list'

The UAE has added 11 individuals and eight UK-based entities to its "terror list" due to their alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

The decision was taken by the Emirati cabinet, "which approved the inclusion of 11 individuals and 8 entities in the approved list of individuals and organisations supporting terrorism", the UAE’s official WAM news agency reported.

"The move is part of the UAE's ongoing efforts, both locally and internationally, to target and dismantle networks linked to the financing of terrorism and related activities, both directly and indirectly," according to WAM.

The 11 individuals targeted were predominantly Emirati nationals.

The Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement which renounces the use of violence, is active in several Arab countries. In 2012, its candidate Mohammed Morsi won democratic presidential elections in Egypt.

He was overthrown in a military coup the following year, and Egypt returned to authoritarian rule under current President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. The UAE provided key support to Sisi following the coup.

Abu Dhabi formally designated the Muslim Brotherhood and local affiliates as "terrorist groups" in 2014, following the detention of individuals linked to the movement, known as the UAE94.

Earlier this week, the Lebanese government decided to extradite the son of the late cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who was considered close to the Muslim Brotherhood, to the UAE.

Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi, who is of Egyptian origin, was detained in Lebanon in late December after returning from a trip to Syria, according to his lawyer Mohammad Sablouh and human rights group Amnesty International.

In Syria, he made a video at the Umayyad Mosque, celebrating the success of the uprising against former President Bashar al-Assad while criticising regional governments, including that of the UAE

The move to deport him to the UAE has led to an outcry among campaigners who said this was a gross violation of international law.