CAIRO
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 denounces Egypt arrest threats
Meanwhile Palestinian resistance faction Hamas denounced remarks by an Egyptian government minister who warned that Egypt would arrest any Hamas members found on its soil.
Hamas "strongly condemns such remarks and their possible implications," group spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.
"Such comments are an insult to Egypt and the Arab nation, which supports the Palestinian resistance [against Israeli occupation]," he added.
"Egypt seems to no longer be a sponsor of the Palestinian cause – a role it is no longer fit to play, given its recent remarks," Abu Zuhri asserted.
Egypt has played a prominent role in fostering reconciliation between Hamas and rival Palestinian faction Fatah since the former assumed control of the Gaza Strip in mid-2007.
It also hosted cease-fire talks last summer between Palestinian factions and Israel, which eventually ended Israel's 51-day military onslaught on the Gaza Strip that left some 2,160 Palestinians – mostly civilians – dead.
The Egyptian court designated Hamas a "terrorist" group over claims that it had carried out attacks in Egypt via tunnels linking the Sinai Peninsula to the Gaza Strip.
Arab League 'unconcerned' by Egypt's Hamas 'terror' label
The Arab League is not concerned with a recent Egyptian court ruling designating Palestinian resistance faction Hamas a "terrorist organization," an official at the pan-Arab body said Wednesday.
"The Arab League doesn't take positions based on rulings by local courts in any country," Assistant Arab League Secretary-General Mohamed Sobeih told reporters.
"I think it's inappropriate to deal with a strategic issue through a local court ruling; such issues should be addressed by joint Arab action," he said.
"Palestinian resistance is not terrorism under international law," Sobeih added while stressing the league's respect for Egypt's "sovereignty."
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.
Hamas, for its part, described the Egyptian court decision as "shocking."
In March of last year, the same court outlawed all Hamas activities in Egypt and shut all of the group's Cairo offices.
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, which has governed the blockaded Gaza Strip since mid-2007, has consistently denied the allegations.
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