The terrorist Muslim Brotherhood organisation in Tunisia has suffered a new judicial blow, plunging the party into a further leadership crisis, after the specialised criminal chamber for terrorism cases at the Court of First Instance in Tunis sentenced Ennahda Movement Secretary-General Al-Ajmi Al-Warimi and youth movement leader Mus'ab Al-Gharbi to 3 years in prison on a terrorism-related charge.
Al-Warimi was charged with "refraining from notifying the competent authorities of information that came to his knowledge regarding a terrorist offence," while Mus'ab Al-Gharbi faced a charge of "acting in conjunction with preparing to provide a place of shelter for a person linked to terrorist crimes."
Both charges were brought against Al-Ajmi Al-Warimi and Mus'ab Al-Gharbi on account of their relationship with Ennahda Movement leader Mohamed Al-Ghannoudi, who is being prosecuted in terrorism cases.
The details of the case date back to July 2024, when the public prosecution referred Al-Warimi and Al-Gharbi to the judicial pole for countering terrorism, following accusations against the Secretary-General of harbouring Mus'ab Al-Gharbi, who had been wanted by the security services.
This ruling deepens the leadership crisis within the Brotherhood's arm in Tunisia, as Al-Ajmi Al-Warimi had assumed the post of Secretary-General of the movement in September 2023 in an attempt to fill an organisational vacuum, following a series of arrests and prosecutions that had struck the organisation's top ranks.