Five businessmen linked to the banned Muslim Brotherhood have been given lengthy prison terms by a Cairo court on charges of financing terrorism and belonging to an illegal organisation.
The verdict, issued on Monday after multiple postponements, is one of the most prominent convictions this year under Egypt’s long-running crackdown on the Islamist movement.
The Supreme State Security Criminal Court gave Wael Mohamed and Osama Hassan Orabi life sentences, while Ashraf Saleh, Ahmed Labib and Ismail Riyad were each jailed for 15 years.
The court ordered that all five be placed under police supervision for five years after serving their terms and that they, along with the Brotherhood, remain listed as terrorist entities.
Two of the men were charged with leading a terrorist cell on the Brotherhood's behalf with the aim of “undermining state institutions, spreading false information, and supporting acts intended to destabilise Egypt”.
The other three were accused of being accomplices “with full knowledge” of the group’s nefarious purposes.
Prosecutors said the defendants used business networks to channel money to Brotherhood activities and “to achieve the organisation’s objectives through violence”.
The ruling followed a protracted trial in Egypt’s terrorism courts that began in 2021 and was reserved for judgment in September 2025, but it was again postponed.
Prosecutors delivered heated closing arguments in November, accusing the defendants of exploiting religion for political ends and describing the Brotherhood’s history as “marked by violence and conspiracy”.
Since President Abdel Fattah El Sisi came to power in 2013, authorities have outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, declared it a terrorist organisation and prosecuted thousands of its members and supporters.
The movement’s leaders, including imprisoned former officials, deny involvement in violence and say they are facing political persecution.
There is also renewed international scrutiny of the Muslim Brotherhood’s regional role. In November, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing officials to consider designating certain Brotherhood chapters abroad as foreign terrorist organisations.
Egypt’s regime has long urged its allies to adopt a similar stance towards the group, which it blames for years of unrest.
The verdict can be appealed at Egypt’s Court of Cassation.
