Former MP Zyad El Alaimy among 13 people placed on Egypt's terrorism list

Court rules that the politician and 12 others carried out activities against the state

Egyptian MPs voted to amend a 1968 law governing the formation of 'popular forces' to aid the military at times of war. EPA

Egypt on Saturday added 13 people, including former parliamentarian Zyad El Alaimy, on the country's terrorism list for collaborating with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

The decision, published in the official gazette, stated that their "placement on the terrorism list will be for a period of five years".

Mr El Alaimy, a key figure of Egypt's 2011 popular uprising that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak, was arrested in June 2019.

Also put on the list was Ramy Shaath, a prominent activist and the son of veteran Palestinian politician Nabil Shaath, who holds Egyptian citizenship and was arrested two months after Mr El Elaimy.

Since their arrest, the pair have been charged with joining a "terrorist group" – namely the Brotherhood which has been outlawed in Egypt and several other countries in the region, including the UAE.

In a statement issued on June 25 last year, Egypt's interior ministry said it had uncovered “a joint plot between the Muslim Brotherhood’s exiled leadership and the civil opposition to target the state and its institutions in order to oust it on June 30”, the anniversary of the military's 2013 removal of Brotherhood member Mohammed Morsi from the presidency following mass protests against his rule.

In its ruling on Saturday, the court said that Brotherhood members had tasked "other members of the group ... including Ramy Shaath and Zyad El Alaimy" with carrying out activities against the state.

Defence lawyer Khaled Ali told AFP that the decision was taken in the absence of their lawyers and would be appealed.

Hundreds of people have been added to Egypt's terrorism list in recent years, including fugitives and people detained by authorities.

The measure allows the authorities to freeze their assets while those who are not behind bars are banned from travel.