London resident Mahmoud Al-Abyari has been accused by the US government of living a double life as a terror financier funnelling cash to Hamas. The 74-year-old dual Egyptian-Austrian national is alleged to be a senior leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, which the US Treasury designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in January 2026.
To neighbours in a leafy north-west London suburb, Al-Abyari appeared to be simply a softly-spoken, bespectacled old man living in a house on the corner. Over the past decade, however, he cultivated an image of himself as a senior Muslim leader, giving regular interviews to Arab satellite channels from London on subjects ranging from Palestine to Middle Eastern politics.
Despite US sanctions, Al-Abyari remains free to move around London unchallenged and was photographed leaving his house on foot last week. Showing support for Hamas, a proscribed organisation in Britain, can carry a jail term of up to 14 years, yet it is understood that he has not yet been questioned by the Metropolitan Police. The Metropolitan Police declined to comment.
Al-Abyari denies ever funding Hamas and dismisses the US sanctions as false and without proof. "This is a false accusation and I already made an appeal against this accusation," Al-Abyari said, though he did not say how he had appealed against the sanctions. Asked to comment on the US action against him, Al-Abyari sent a message by WhatsApp saying: "Please do not write anything about me as this is a false accusation with no proof." He had previously told a reporter from this newspaper on WhatsApp that he was too ill to talk.
US Treasury Allegations and Sham Charities
The US Treasury described Al-Abyari as a United Kingdom-based senior leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood who worked with Muslim Brotherhood groups to support and provide financial assistance to Hamas. According to the Treasury, Al-Abyari fundraised for two Turkish charities, Filistin Vakfi and Hayat Yolu, both previously banned by the US for raising money for Hamas.
Al-Abyari has lived in Britain for decades and resides in a semi-detached house in Willesden Green, north-west London. The property, which has a current market value of a million pounds, appears to be a Muslim Brotherhood-owned asset in Britain.
Land Registry records show the three-bedroom house was bought by the Nile Valley Trust in 2004 for £360,000. Companies House records show one of the trust's directors is Al-Abyari himself, whose surname is spelt ElAbiary in the filing. Several of the company's other five directors are reportedly UK leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The address given for the Nile Valley Trust is in Cricklewood, neighbouring Willesden Green, and is believed to be the Muslim Brotherhood's UK headquarters. When a reporter from this newspaper knocked at the Willesden Green address last week, no one answered, despite it being clear people were inside.
Neighbour Reaction and History of the Group
Neighbours were shocked to learn they could be living next to a US-sanctioned Hamas fundraiser. "I had no idea," one Muslim neighbour said. "It's a Muslim family that lives next door - they have lived there the past 10 years or so."
The case is likely to renew calls for the Muslim Brotherhood to be banned in the UK, following America's decision to ban several of its branches in January. The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928 by Egyptian imam and schoolteacher Hassan Al-Banna, with the ultimate aim of uniting the Islamic world under a single caliphate governed by sharia law. Its one-time Palestinian leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, founded Hamas in 1987 as an offshoot of the Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood is banned in Egypt and several other Arab countries, and there have been repeated calls over the years to ban it in the UK.
Political Reaction and Demands for Legal Action
Robin Simcox, the Government's former Commissioner for Countering Extremism, said: "The US government has shown a greater willingness to take action against the Muslim Brotherhood than we have. The Muslim Brotherhood's ethos is a direct challenge to our democratic values. We can no longer serve as a refuge for them and their activists."
Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform, said: "Muslim Brotherhood actors have infiltrated Britain at every level. It's good to see the US take a firm stance against the Brotherhood, but it's a sad state of affairs when we are forced to rely on our international partners to fix the mess that Labour and the Tories have left us with. A Reform government will have the courage to finally ban the Muslim Brotherhood and get them off our streets once and for all."
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: "There should be no place in British public life for any individual or group that fundraises for a designated terrorist organisation. But it's simply not enough to rely on your allies to investigate terror financing on our own soil, the police must investigate these allegations immediately. Those who support despicable terrorists belong in jail."
