The US administration wasted no time in indicating what direction it wants Burnham to take on Islamist extremism. Overnight the US Treasury said Mahmoud al-Abyari, a dual Egyptian-Austrian citizen, will be subject to a travel ban and asset freeze. He is based in London, which deliberately puts pressure on the UK authorities to follow suit…
Trump’s foreign and security policy teams are testing the waters on Burnham’s approach. Emma Schubart, Research Fellow, Ban the Brotherhood UK and Henry Jackson Society, told Guido:
“The United States has sanctioned a London-based senior Muslim Brotherhood figure. The question is: why hasn’t Britain? Our allies are taking action while the UK continues to look the other way. If the Government is serious about tackling Islamist extremism, it can no longer ignore the Muslim Brotherhood. It’s time for Britain to stop being an outlier and ban the Brotherhood.”
The move comes after HJS and Ban the Brotherhood published a paper on the model used by UK allies to stamp out the organisation’s activities. Pressure on Mahmood’s Home Office…
