A 74-year-old man living in London has been accused by the U.S. Treasury of operating as a terror financier for Hamas, allegedly funneling money through two Turkish charities designated as fronts for the militant group. The U.S. Treasury also identified the individual as a senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, a global organization which the U.S. designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in January 2026.

The U.S. Treasury stated that the man, identified as Mahmoud Al-Abyari, a dual Egyptian-Austrian national who has resided in Britain for decades, raised funds for Filistin Vakfi and Hayat Yolu, both of which have been previously banned by the U.S. for supporting Hamas. According to the Treasury, Al-Abyari "worked with Muslim Brotherhood groups to support and provide financial assistance to Hamas."

Despite the U.S. sanctions, Al-Abyari remains in London, where he has cultivated an image as a senior Muslim leader, giving interviews on Middle Eastern politics. Neighbors in his north-west London suburb described him as a soft-spoken, bespectacled elderly man. When approached by a reporter, Al-Abyari denied the allegations via WhatsApp, calling them "false" and "without proof."

Records indicate that Al-Abyari is a director of the Nile Valley Trust, a UK-based organization that purchased the house where he resides in 2004. This property is believed to be the Muslim Brotherhood's UK headquarters. Several other directors of the Trust are reportedly UK leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The allegations and U.S. sanctions are likely to reignite calls for a ban on the Muslim Brotherhood in the UK. The organization, founded in 1928, has been banned in Egypt and several other Arab nations. Hamas, designated as a terrorist group by the U.S., was founded in 1987 by a former Palestinian leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Former Commissioner for Countering Extremism, Robin Simcox, noted the U.S.'s greater willingness to act against the Muslim Brotherhood, stating that the group's ethos challenges democratic values and that the UK should no longer serve as a refuge for its activists. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp asserted that individuals or groups fundraising for designated terrorist organizations should have no place in British public life and called for an immediate investigation by the Metropolitan Police. Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform, claimed Muslim Brotherhood actors have infiltrated Britain at various levels and pledged that a Reform government would ban the organization.

The Metropolitan Police declined to comment on the matter.