Egypt Vows To Arrest Hamas Members Found On İts Soil

The Egyptian authorities will arrest any member of Palestinian movement Hamas found in the country after a court issued a preliminary verdict blacklisting the group as a "terrorist" organization.



"Any [Hamas] member found in Egypt will be arrested and all their assets will be confiscated," Justice Minister Mahfouz Saber told state daily Al-Ahram al-Massai.



According to the minister, a government committee originally responsible for overseeing the assets of Muslim Brotherhood – which was likewise designated a "terrorist" group in late 2013 – will begin confiscating Hamas' assets in Egypt.



On Saturday, an Egyptian court designated Hamas a "terrorist" organization. The move was based on claims that the group had carried out attacks in Egypt via cross-border tunnels linking the Sinai Peninsula to the blockaded Gaza Strip.



In March of last year, the same court outlawed all Hamas activities in Egypt and confiscated the group's offices.



"Hamas is currently labeled, by court ruling, a terrorist organization that harms the country's national security," the minister said.



Senior Hamas member Moussa Abu Marzouq is the only Hamas leader currently based in Egypt.



Hamas, for its part, described the Egyptian court decision as "shocking."



A number of Hamas members have been among the defendants in two trials that ousted President Mohamed Morsi – a Muslim Brotherhood leader – currently faces for alleged espionage and jailbreak.



Egypt's media blames Hamas, an ideological offshoot of Morsi's Brotherhood, for a series of deadly attacks on Egyptian security forces that have occurred since Morsi's ouster by the army in mid-2013.



Hamas has consistently denied the allegations.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Kahire