DUBAI: The UAE said prosecutors have uncovered a new secret organization that was formed by fugitives from a terrorist group operating against the state from abroad, a statement on WAM said.
Investigations conducted by the Public Prosecution revealed that fugitives from the "Reform Call", previously classified as a terrorist organization within the country, have formed a new secret group abroad.
The Reform Call was slated for dissolution in 2013, but the new organization aims to revive the previous group and pursue similar objectives, WAM reported.
The confessions of an arrested member of the organisation detailed the group’s structure and activities, and the roles of its members in threatening stability in the UAE, the statement said.
The UAE State Security Department says it has been monitoring fugitives from various emirates who were sentenced in absentia in 2013.
It said the surveillance found two groups of the organisation’s members who convened abroad and recruited others to form a new organisation.
The investigations further revealed that some of these members received funding from sources within the UAE and from “other terrorist groups and organisations outside the country.”
Authorities said the organisation has established alliances with other terrorist groups to strengthen ties, secure funding, maintain the organisation's presence, enhance protection mechanisms abroad, and achieve its objectives, the WAM statement said.
In one country, the group is reportedly associated with several fronts posing as charitable or intellectual organisations and television channels, the most notable being the Cordoba Foundation (TCF), which is also classified as a terrorist organisation in the country since 2014.
TCF presents itself as a Middle Eastern “think-tank” institution and 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.
The fugitive members communicated in secret meetings via internet applications and through mutual visits between the two groups.
These activities include “leading smear campaigns, promoting hate speech, questioning the state's achievements, spreading discord among the populace, financing terrorism, engaging in money laundering, and cooperating 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.”
Some members engaged directly with international human rights organisations, providing false information about state authorities in the UAE, WAM added.
The Public Prosecution is expected to release details of the terrorist organisation and its crimes upon the completion of these investigations.