The Trump administration is working to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, the White House said on Tuesday, which would bring sanctions against Egypt’s oldest Islamist movement.



“The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in an email.



Egyptian President Abdelfattah el-Sisi asked President Donald Trump to make the designation, which Egypt has already done, in a private meeting during a visit to Washington on April 9, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.



After the meeting, Trump praised el-Sisi as a “great president”.



El-Sisi, who ousted President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013 and was elected president the following year, has overseen a sweeping crackdown on Islamist groups in Egypt.

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:59 - GMT 06:59