Investigations conducted by the UAE Public Prosecution have revealed that a new “secret organisation” has been formed outside the country by members of the UAE Muslim Brotherhood, a terror organisation dissolved in 2013, authorities announced on Friday.
This new secret group aimed to revive the Muslim Brotherhood, according to the probe.
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One arrested member of the organisation has confessed, detailing how the group operated and led hate speech and smear campaigns against the UAE.
A team from the Public Prosecution is currently conducting intensive investigations to verify details from the confessions and from the State Security Service’s findings.
The authority is expected to announce more details about this terrorist organisation and its crimes after the investigations are completed.
What the authorities know so far
Monitoring the fugitives which had been sentenced in absentia in 2013, the State Security Service found that two groups of the terror organisation had met abroad.
With new recruits joining in, they formed the new secret organisation to revive the activities of the UAE Muslim Brotherhood.
It was discovered that they received funding from sources within the UAE and from other terrorist groups outside the country.
Confession
The arrested member of the organisation detailed the group’s structure and activities.
Some of their smear campaigns questioned the UAE’s achievements, targeted the country on human rights issues, and incited actions against official institutions, the Public Prosecution said.
Their goal was to “weaken confidence in the UAE Government and stir up public opinion through fake online pages and propaganda accounts”, it added.
Some directly engaged with international human rights groups, providing them with false information about UAE authorities to fuel negative reports could be published against the country, the probe revealed.
False identity
The secret organisation collaborated with other terror groups across media, economic, and educational sectors to secure funding and maintain its presence.
In one country, the group is associated with several fronts posing as charitable or intellectual organisations and television channels, the most notable being the Cordoba Foundation (TCF).
Classified as a terrorist organisation in the country since 2014, TCF presents itself as a Middle Eastern “think-tank” institution. It is led by Anas Altikriti, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood residing abroad, who played a significant role in organising demonstrations in front of UAE embassies and international organisations.
The fugitive members communicated in online meetings and would sometimes visit each other.