US designates three Muslim Brotherhood chapters as global terrorists

Jan 13 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday designated the Egyptian, Lebanese and Jordanian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as global terrorists, citing in part what it called their support for Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The move, which Washington formally set in motion last November, will bring sanctions against one of the Arab world's oldest and most influential Islamist movements.

The Treasury said it was labelingthe three chapters as specially designated global terrorists. It has accused the trio of supporting or encouraging violent attacks against Israel and U.S. partners.

"Chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood purport to be legitimate civic organizations while, behind the scenes, they explicitly and enthusiastically support terrorist groups like Hamas," the Treasury Department said in a statement.

Republicans and right-wing voices have long advocated for and considered terrorist designations for the Muslim Brotherhood.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren in OttawaEditing by Matthew Lewis)