Turkish authorities detained Egyptian national Mohamed Abdel-Hafeez Abdullah at Istanbul airport over alleged ties to the outlawed Hasm movement.
Abdullah's detention comes after the Egyptian Interior Ministry identified him as one of the Brotherhood leaders who had fled to Turkey to pursue a plan to revive the Hasm movement.
Turkish officials stopped Abdullah upon his return from a business trip outside Turkey, informing him that he would not be allowed entry and was facing deportation, according to his wife.
She shared the news in a Facebook post on Monday, warning that extradition to Egypt would endanger his life.
“My husband’s legal status is sound. He holds a valid passport and residency. I’m terrified he might be handed over to Egyptian authorities,” she wrote.
Adel Rashed, head of the Egyptian community in Turkey, told Al Manassa that Abdullah’s case appeared to be “a special, individual matter,” adding that Turkish judicial authorities were still investigating and had not made any decisions about deportation.
“This is a one-off case, likely triggered by a security code linked to Egypt’s Interior Ministry statement naming him in the Hasm case,” Rashad said. He denied that Turkish authorities were broadly targeting Egyptians, adding that no recent deportations or movement restrictions had been reported.
Speaking to Al Manassa, a human rights source based in Turkey confirmed that Abdullah’s case is an isolated one, stressing that Turkish authorities are not broadly tightening restrictions on Egyptians.
The source added that the arrest must be seen in light of improving Turkish-Egyptian relations, noting that Cairo regularly issues Interpol red notices for wanted individuals, and that Ankara has recently begun treating these with greater seriousness.
“Egypt occasionally circulates red notices. Turkish authorities now tend to flag individuals named in them under an ‘anti-terror code’ at airports and ports,” the source explained.
They also pointed out that Abdullah was able to leave Turkey for Kenya without issue, suggesting that the arrest was triggered by the latest Egyptian statement.
Uncertainty about Abdullah’s fate persists, according to the source, though protests by Egyptian youth outside the airport and interventions by Turkish lawyers and rights groups had reduced the likelihood of his deportation.
On Sunday, Egypt’s Interior Ministry announced to have thwarted a plot by five Hasm members operating abroad and killed two others inside Egypt. In a video statement, the ministry accused Hasm of planning “hostile operations” against security and economic targets.
In a video aired by the state-aligned Extra News channel, the Interior Ministry detailed its account of tracking Hasm member Ahmed Mohamed Abdel-Razek Ahmed Ghoneim, who reportedly entered Egypt “illegally through desert routes” before taking refuge in a Bulaq Al-Dakrour apartment in Cairo to prepare for a terrorist plot.
Beyond those killed in the raid, authorities also identified five other individuals involved in planning the attack, including Abdullah.
Hasm, short for “Harakat Sawa'd Misr” (Arms of Egypt Movement), emerged in 2014 and has claimed responsibility for a series of high-profile attacks in Egypt, mostly targeting police, judiciary, and government figures.
Earlier this month, a video attributed to Hasm surfaced online, showing masked men conducting military-style drills in an uninhabited desert area. The footage featured a banner that read: “Hasm: With our arms, we protect our revolution.”
This was the group’s first public reappearance in nearly six years, following a series of security crackdowns that weakened its presence.
The group is designated a terrorist organization by both Egypt and the US.
While Egyptian officials say Hasm is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, the Brotherhood has repeatedly denied involvement in violent activities.
