LONDON — Prime Minister David Cameron ordered an inquiry into the activities in Britain of the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the most prominent Islamic organizations, to determine in part whether it is using London as a base for planning extremist attacks following the military crackdown in Egypt, officials and media reports said Tuesday.
British governments have moved against smaller Islamic militant groups but have tended to cast the Brotherhood in a different, more moderate light, particularly after Mohammed Morsi was elected Egypt’s president in 2012. Morsi was overthrown last year by the military, and Egypt, like Saudi Arabia, has since declared the Brotherhood a terrorist group.
A spokeswoman for Cameron said the Brotherhood “has risen in prominence in recent years but our understanding of the organization, its philosophy and values, has not kept pace with this.”
“It’s absolutely right and prudent that we get a better handle of what the Brotherhood stands for, how they intend to achieve their aims, and what that means for Britain,” she said.
The inquiry, to be headed by Sir John Jenkins, Britain’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, is to end by midsummer, officials said.
Word of the inquiry first emerged in The Times of London, which said leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood met in London last year to plan their response to Morsi’s overthrow.
Since Morsi was overthrown, jihadists have carried out assassinations and hundreds of bombings.