Saudi Arabia has formally designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group.
The announcement was carried by state television, which quoted the Saudi Interior Ministry.
The kingdom fears the Brotherhood's conservative Sunni doctrines, which challenge the Saudi principle of dynastic rule. The group has also tried to build support within Saudi Arabia since the Arab Spring popular revolutions.
In Egypt, the Brotherhood was driven underground after the army deposed President Mohamed Morsi, a longtime leader in the group, which also faced repression when Hosni Mubarak was in power.
Riyadh also designated as terrorist groups two Jihadist organizations active in Syria - the Nusra Front and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Many of their fighters came from Saudi Arabia.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.
The announcement was carried by state television, which quoted the Saudi Interior Ministry.
The kingdom fears the Brotherhood's conservative Sunni doctrines, which challenge the Saudi principle of dynastic rule. The group has also tried to build support within Saudi Arabia since the Arab Spring popular revolutions.
In Egypt, the Brotherhood was driven underground after the army deposed President Mohamed Morsi, a longtime leader in the group, which also faced repression when Hosni Mubarak was in power.
Riyadh also designated as terrorist groups two Jihadist organizations active in Syria - the Nusra Front and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Many of their fighters came from Saudi Arabia.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.
