Turkey shelters Emirati Brotherhood figures on UAE terror list

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Turkey shelters Emirati Muslim Brotherhood figures on UAE terrorism list: report

September 21, 2026

DUBAI,— Turkey has provided shelter, residency and, in some cases, citizenship to Emirati figures linked by the United Arab Emirates to a Muslim Brotherhood network that Abu Dhabi accuses of seeking to remove the country’s rulers from power, according to a report by Nordic Monitor.

The report is based in part on a recently disclosed communication sent to the UAE government by four United Nations special rapporteurs on April 28, 2026.

The UN document examined the UAE’s decision to place 11 individuals and eight organizations on its terrorism list over alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Several people named on the UAE list were reported by the UN to have lived in Turkey. Some were connected to the UAE94 case, while others left the UAE after a government crackdown on members of Al-Islah, which Abu Dhabi considers the UAE branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.

According to Nordic Monitor, Turkey became an important destination for Brotherhood-linked figures who left Arab countries after the Arab Spring.

The report says some people who first moved to Western countries later settled in Turkey, where they were able to continue their activities with fewer restrictions.

It also alleges that some members gained access to Turkish financial, banking and business networks and that several obtained Turkish citizenship.

The dispute dates back to March 2012, when UAE authorities began arresting members of Al-Islah.

Emirati prosecutors accused the group of creating a secret organization, attempting to turn public opinion against the government and establishing contacts with international Muslim Brotherhood organizations.

Prosecutors also alleged that the group sought foreign assistance, expertise and financial support as part of an effort to seize power.

They further accused members of using money from membership contributions and charitable donations to purchase companies, real estate, agricultural land and shares in order to conceal assets.

The defendants rejected the allegations, saying their activities were focused on political reform and greater public participation rather than an attempt to overthrow the government.

The UAE designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization in 2014.

The issue returned to the spotlight on January 8, 2025, when the UAE Cabinet approved a new terrorism list containing 11 individuals and eight organizations.

One person named was Saeed Khadem Ahmed Bintouq al-Marri, who holds both Emirati and Turkish citizenship.

According to the report, he left the UAE in 2012 after restrictions were imposed on him and later settled in Turkey, where he obtained Turkish citizenship.

Other Emiratis identified in the UN document include Ibrahim Ahmed Ibrahim Ali al-Hammadi, a Swedish-Emirati dual citizen reported to be living in Turkey, and Elham Abdulla Ahmad al-Hashemi, who reportedly remained in Turkey after deciding not to return to the UAE following medical treatment in Britain.

Another case involves Abderrahman Omar Salim Bajubair al-Hadhrami, who was living in Turkey and was accused in 2013 of helping suspects in the UAE94 case by creating and operating a social-media account called “uaemot.” The account remains online, according to Nordic Monitor.

Jasem Rashed Khalfan Rashed al-Shamsi was also reported to have been living in Turkey. .

Turkish authorities detained him and members of his family at Dalaman Airport in March 2024 after his name reportedly appeared in an INTERPOL system. He was not transferred to the UAE and later moved with his family to Syria.

Another wanted Emirati, Khalaf Abdul Rahman Humaid al-Romaithi, lived in Turkey and obtained Turkish citizenship. He had been sentenced in absentia by a UAE court to 15 years in prison.

After traveling to Jordan in May 2023, he was arrested and later handed over to the UAE.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s longstanding relationship with political Islamist movements, including Hamas, which was founded as a Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Erdoğan said in September 2025 that he did not consider Hamas a terrorist organization but a “resistance group,” according to Nordic Monitor.

Turkey and the UAE began repairing relations in 2021, with trade and investment playing an important role.

However, Nordic Monitor reports that Ankara took no visible action after the UAE’s January 2025 terrorism designations, even though several listed Emiratis were reportedly living in Turkey.

The UAE says its terrorism designations are intended to disrupt networks linked to Muslim Brotherhood financing and terrorism.

Financial institutions were instructed to take measures against the listed individuals and organizations.

The Muslim Brotherhood is a radical Islamist organization founded in Egypt in 1928, which several countries have designated as a terrorist group, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The full report from the Nordic Monitor.