Saudi media: Northern Cyprus used by networks linked to Muslim Brotherhood
Saudi media report that the northern part of Cyprus was used as a transit hub by networks connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, with allegations of educational fraud, forged documents and movement of Islamist fugitives.
Saudi media: Northern Cyprus used by networks linked to Muslim Brotherhood
Saudi news outlets have brought to public attention allegations involving the northern part of Cyprus in the activities of networks with connections to the Muslim Brotherhood. The claims include illegal human trafficking, fraud in the academic sector, document forgery and facilitation of movement of Islamists evading justice.
According to reports from the television network Al Arabiya and its sister station Al Hadath, authorities in the occupied areas proceeded to deport a senior official who was allegedly operating in Turkey and working as office director for a prominent leader of the Salah Abdel Haq faction.
Salah Abdel Haq, an Egyptian doctor and Islamist preacher born in 1945 in Cairo, has been considered since 2023 by a wing of the Muslim Brotherhood as the acting supreme guide. He is connected to what is known as the "London front".
The deported person allegedly set up a network providing mediation services for education, targeting young people who wished to study at universities in the occupied areas. According to the allegations, he collected large sums of money from students and their families, promising enrolment in four-year programmes. Students later discovered that they had been enrolled only for one academic year, while the remaining funds had disappeared.
The same network allegedly facilitated the movement of members of the Muslim Brotherhood who had been convicted or sentenced in Egypt. The aim was to obtain student status from institutions in the occupied areas, which would facilitate their entry into Turkey.
The allegations also include the sale of forged IELTS language certificates for amounts of up to 5,000 US dollars per document.
The Saudi reports also state that the said person collaborated with another individual to establish unlicensed and unrecognised educational institutions, with the aim of concentrating young members of the Muslim Brotherhood in the occupied areas.
The reports note that the northern area functions as a grey zone for networks involved in illegal trafficking, fraud and political facilitation. They place particular emphasis on the higher education sector in the occupied areas, arguing that for years it has been one of the main mechanisms for attracting foreigners, operating with limited international oversight and increased potential for abuse, including by extremist networks.
Source: Cyprus Mail
Source: Cyprus Mail