Reuters – In an official report on Saudi television, Saudi Arabia has formally designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group.
Citing a statement by the interior ministry, the report added that the Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) – whose fighters are battling the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad – were also classed as terror organisations.
The move on Friday appeared to enforce last month’s royal decree in which Riyadh said it would jail any citizen guilty of fighting in conflicts overseas for up to 20 years. The authorities want to deter Saudis from joining rebels in Syria, fearing they could pose a security risk when they return.
Riyadh says the Brotherhood – whose Sunni doctrines challenge the Saudi principle of dynastic rule – has tried to build support inside the kingdom since the Arab spring uprisings across the Middle East and north Africa.
The army-backed government in Cairo designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation in December after accusing the group of carrying out a suicide bombing at a police station that killed 16 people. The Brotherhood condemned that attack and denies using violence.
Saudi Arabia’s Islamic religious authorities have previously spoken out against Saudi fighters going to Syria. The interior ministry estimates that around 1,200 Saudis have gone there nonetheless.