UAE investigation uncovers secret group led by terrorist fugitives

The UAE's Public Prosecution said on Friday it had uncovered a secret organisation operating overseas, which sought to threaten national security and finance terrorism.

Authorities said it was established by fugitive members of the Reform Call organisation, which is classified as a terrorist group within the Emirates and disbanded in 2013.

The State Security Service monitored the fugitives from various emirates who were sentenced in their absence in 2013.

Their surveillance revealed two branches of Reform Call had come together to form the new organisation and had recruited others from overseas, state news agency Wam said on Friday.

“It was discovered that they received funding from sources within the UAE and from other terrorist groups and organisations outside the country,” Wam stated.

The group is accused of forging alliances with other terrorist groups and working with organisations claiming to be charitable or intellectual organisations and television channels.

Investigations found one of these groups was The Cordoba Foundation (TCF), based in London, which has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the UAE since 2014.

“TCF presents itself as a Middle Eastern think tank” institution. It is led by Anas Altikriti, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood residing abroad, who played a significant role in organising demonstrations in front of UAE embassies and international organisations,” Wam stated.

Members are understood to have communicated in clandestine meetings through internet applications and visits between the groups.

Details were brought to the light following the arrest of one of the members, who revealed the group's structure and activities.

These activities included financing terrorism, money laundering, sowing dissent among the public and co-operating with foreign intelligence services to destabilise 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 created for this purpose,” Wam stated.

“Some members engaged directly with international human rights organisations, providing false information about state authorities to be used in negative reports against the UAE.”

A team from the Public Prosecution is currently conducting investigations to verify details from the confessions of the arrested member and from the State Security Service's findings.

The Public Prosecution is expected to release details of the terrorist organisation and its crimes upon the completion of these investigations.