Egypt Thwarts Plot to ‘Revive’ Muslim Brotherhood

A view of the Nile River flowing through Cairo, Egypt. (Getty Images)
A view of the Nile River flowing through Cairo, Egypt. (Getty Images)
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Egypt Thwarts Plot to ‘Revive’ Muslim Brotherhood

A view of the Nile River flowing through Cairo, Egypt. (Getty Images)
A view of the Nile River flowing through Cairo, Egypt. (Getty Images)

Egyptian authorities said on Thursday they have thwarted a plot aimed at financing the banned Muslim Brotherhood and reviving its activities in the country.

The plot aimed to funnel funds using imprisoned Brotherhood leader Safwan Thabet’s companies into “terrorist activities,” the interior ministry said in a statement, adding that $8.4 million and ammunition had been found in an apartment in Giza, across the Nile from central Cairo.

According to the statement, the National Security Agency found out that Brotherhood member Yehia Mahran Othman played a prominent role in the plan.

Thabet assigned Othman to use his companies in transferring and concealing the terrorist organization’s funds in an attempt to circumvent the legal measures taken to freeze his assets, Akhbar el-Yom reported, quoting the statement.

Thabet was arrested in December on charges of joining an outlawed group, inciting violence, and financing a terrorist group. His son Seifeldin was detained in February after taking over as chairman.

Egypt banned the Brotherhood in 2014, designating it as a terrorist organization.

It has been accused of involvement in violent acts that took place after the ouster of president Mohammed Morsi – a member of the group – in 2013.

Hundreds of its leaders and supporters, including its supreme guide Mohammed Badie, are on trial on charges largely related to incitement to violence. Several verdicts, including death sentences, have been issued against the suspects.

Commenting on the latest security operation, former Assistant to the Minister of Interior, Farouk al-Mekrahi told Asharq Al-Awsat the ministry is keen to take preemptive measures against the group to avoid any attempts that would harm Egypt’s security.



Israel Seals off the Occupied West Bank

Palestinians walk by the closed Deir Sharaf checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians walk by the closed Deir Sharaf checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
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Israel Seals off the Occupied West Bank

Palestinians walk by the closed Deir Sharaf checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians walk by the closed Deir Sharaf checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

Israel closed all checkpoints to the Israeli-occupied West Bank Friday as the country attacked Iran, a military official said Friday.

The move sealed off entry and exit to the territory, meaning that Palestinians could not leave without special coordination.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military recommendations.

Around 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank under Israeli military rule.

With the world’s attention focused on Gaza, Israeli military operations in the West Bank have grown in size, frequency and intensity.

The crackdown has also left tens of thousands unemployed, as they can no longer work the mostly menial jobs in Israel that paid higher wages.

Israel launched a wave of strikes across Iran on Friday that targeted its nuclear program and military sites, killing at least two top military officers and raising the prospect of an all-out war between the two bitter adversaries. It appeared to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq.

The strikes came amid simmering tensions over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program and appeared certain to trigger a reprisal. In its first response, Iran fired more than 100 drones at Israel. Israel said the drones were being intercepted outside its airspace, and it was not immediately clear whether any got through.

Israeli leaders cast the attack as necessary to head off an imminent threat that Iran would build nuclear bombs, though it remains unclear how close the country is to achieving that.