Egypt asks Interpol to renew red notices for fleeing Muslim Brotherhood members

Sevil Erkuş ANKARA

Amr Darrag is a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, and has reportedly already arrived in Turkey.

Egypt has recently asked Interpol to renew red notices for the Muslim Brotherhood members who are being forced to leave Qatar.

If there is a red notice for the arrest for those Muslim Brotherhood members, the Interior Ministry will examine the issue, a Turkish official has told the Hürriyet Daily News, amid claims that the Brotherhood figures may come to stay Turkey. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the top figures from the Muslim Brotherhood who are being forced to leave Qatar could come to Turkey if there are no complications preventing their entry. Prior to Erdoğan’s remarks, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Freedom and Justice Party, Amr Darrag, reportedly arrived in Turkey. 

The Egyptian administration has recently initiated the renewal of red notices, as Qatar has asked the Muslim Brotherhood members to leave the Gulf state. In March, Interpol was involved in the arrest of some Brotherhood members in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

“In the event that they request to come to Turkey, then the necessary investigations will be carried out. A different approach could be implemented if there are reasons to prevent their entry to Turkey. If there are no obstacles, the mandatory convenience provided to everyone will also be provided to them,” Erdoğan told journalists while returning from an official trip to Qatar late Sept. 15.

“They can come to Turkey just like any other foreign visitor, if there are no problems,” he added. 

Seven prominent Muslim Brotherhood members, including Mahmoud Hussein, the secretary-general of the movement, are being forced to leave Qatar. Hussein has named Turkey as a possible destination for them.

Erdoğan said none of the figures had yet contacted Turkish officials about a possible application for residency. Turkey and Egypt have bilateral agreements for extradition.

However, Egyptian citizens do not need a visa to travel to Turkey, a Turkish diplomat told the Daily News, noting that the Muslim Brotherhood members have not requested the establishment of a representative office or an association in Turkey. If there are any legal obstacles to them coming to Turkey, then the Interior Ministry will examine their situation, the official added. 

The Muslim Brotherhood was designated as a terrorist organization by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi following a coup he staged against Brotherhood-linked President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. 

Turkish-Egyptian bilateral relations have deteriorated following the toppling of Morsi, as the Turkish government frequently denounced the coup staged by el-Sisi. Egypt and Turkey have reciprocally declared each others’ ambassadors persona non grata and reduced the level of diplomatic representation.

Turkey’s decision to welcome the Brotherhood officials could further ratchet up tension between the two countries.