Turkey’s Top Court Overturns Terrorism Convictions of 2 Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Figures

Turkiye's Supreme Court of Appeals has annulled the terrorism convictions of two Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB) members, including Atef Shahat Abdelaal Elgendy, a senior Brotherhood figure accused of links to ISIS. 

The ruling effectively nullifies earlier verdicts that sentenced the men to over seven years in prison for alleged ties to the jihadist network.

With its ruling the highly politicized court — dominated by the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and its far-right ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) — signaled that Turkiye's leadership remains intent on shielding Egyptian jihadist figures despite a recent thaw in relations with Cairo following Ankara’s earlier open support for the Muslim Brotherhood.

Elgendy’s case dates back to 2019, when Turkish counterterrorism police raided his Istanbul apartment and discovered bomb-making manuals, forged passports, and a list of 128 foreign nationals. 

Prosecutors alleged that the materials were tied to a covert network assisting ISIS operatives. 

Elgendy claimed the documents were administrative files related to Egyptian exiles seeking residence in Turkey, insisting the list merely tracked incomplete applications.

Investigators also uncovered a stamp-making machine and several forged identity papers from Egypt and Tunisia, which they said were used to produce fake travel documents. 

Photos retrieved from Elgendy’s phone allegedly showed him armed in Libya, while Turkish intelligence reports linked him to al-Qaeda–affiliated groups and foreign fighters.

Elgendy’s co-defendant, another Egyptian law professor who later obtained Turkish citizenship, also faced accusations of aiding jihadist movements. 

Turkish authorities began investigating him following U.S. intelligence reports suggesting his involvement in supporting exiled Brotherhood members and possibly jihadist cells.

He maintained that his work was humanitarian and, at times, carried out under official Turkish government assignments — a claim that may have influenced the lenient ruling.

Among the digital evidence were explosive-making guides and files referencing Hamas’s military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. 

Elgendy denied any involvement, arguing that the materials were downloaded inadvertently and noting that Turkish state media frequently portrays Hamas as a legitimate resistance group rather than a terrorist organization.

The Supreme Court’s decision does not acquit the two men but sends the case back to the Istanbul 34th High Criminal Court for retrial and re-examination of the seized evidence. Investigators maintain that the findings point to an underground network supporting jihadist activity across the Middle East and North Africa.

The retrial now places Turkey’s judiciary at the center of a politically sensitive issue. While the Turkish government officially bans al-Qaeda and ISIS, it continues to provide political protection to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. 

The outcome of this case will serve as a litmus test for how far Ankara is willing to go in shielding Brotherhood operatives while attempting to preserve its delicate diplomatic rapprochement with Egypt.