UAE uncovers ‘terror-linked’ organization formed by fugitives abroad – The UAE said that prosecutors had uncovered a new secret organization formed by fugitives from a terrorist group operating against the state from abroad, a statement on WAM said.
Investigations conducted by the Public Prosecution have revealed that the fugitives from the organization called the “Reform Call,” previously classified as a terrorist organization within the country, have formed a new secret group abroad.
The Reform Call was slated for dissolution in 2013, but the new organization aimed to revive the previous group and pursue similar objectives, WAM reported.
The confessions of an arrested member of the organization detailed the group’s structure and activities, and the roles of its members in threatening stability in the UAE, the statement said.
The UAE State Security Department has been monitoring fugitives from various emirates who were sentenced in absentia in 2013.
It said that the surveillance found two groups of the organization’s members who convened abroad and recruited others to form a new organization.
The investigations further revealed that some of these members received funding from sources within the UAE and from “other terrorist groups and organizations outside the country.”
Authorities said that the organization had established alliances with other terrorist groups to strengthen ties, secure funding, maintain the organization’s presence, enhance protection mechanisms abroad, and achieve its objectives, the WAM statement said.
In one country, the group is reportedly associated with several fronts posing as charitable or intellectual organizations and television channels, the most notable being the Cordoba Foundation, or TCF, which has also been classified as a terrorist organization in the country since 2014.
TCF presents itself as a Middle Eastern “think tank” institution and is led by Anas Altikriti, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood living abroad, who played a significant role in organizing demonstrations in front of UAE embassies and international organizations.
The fugitive members communicated in secret meetings via Internet applications and through mutual visits between the two groups.
These activities included “leading smear campaigns, promoting hate speech, questioning the state’s achievements, spreading discord among the populace, financing terrorism, engaging in money laundering, and cooperating with foreign intelligence services to destabilize state security.”
They also “incited actions against official institutions, targeted the UAE on human rights issues, sought to weaken confidence in the government, and stirred public opinion through fake online pages and accounts.”
Some members engaged directly with international human rights organizations, providing false information about state authorities in the UAE, WAM said.
The Public Prosecution is expected to release details of the terrorist organization and its crimes after the completion of the investigations.
