An Egyptian court branded Hamas as a terrorist group and ordered it to suspend operations on Tuesday, according to Israel Hayom.
The lawyer who filed the case against Hamas said that any member of the group currently in Egypt has now lost any legal cover for his stay and should be arrested. Leaders of Egypt's interim government say that Hamas still plays a large role in the country.
Egypt's relations with Hamas have sharply deteriorated since the Egyptian military overthrew the Islamist president Mohammed Morsi last July. Egypt's interim leaders maintain that Hamas is playing a key role in the insurgency by militants in the northern region of the Sinai Peninsula, which borders the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and Israel.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy, addressing a previously scheduled news conference, said he was not aware of the ruling, but added: "Whoever threatens Egypt's security should understand that there will be consequences." [...]
Tuesday's ruling by the Court of Urgent Matters was the result of a case brought before the court by an Egyptian lawyer seeking a verdict branding Hamas a terrorist organization and suspending any dealings with it.