Egypt revokes citizenship of brothers behind Hague embassy protests

Egypt’s Cabinet has revoked the citizenship of two brothers linked to anti-government protests outside the country’s embassy in the Netherlands, according to decrees published in the Official Gazette on Thursday.

The decisions stripped Tarek and Anas Habib of their Egyptian nationality for acquiring foreign citizenship without obtaining prior permission from Egyptian authorities.

The move follows demonstrations outside several Egyptian embassies across European capitals in July 2025, most notably in The Hague, where protesters demanded the opening of the Rafah crossing and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The brothers were linked to organizing and participating in the protests outside the diplomatic mission.

According to the published decrees, the Interior Ministry referred both cases to the Cabinet in line with standard legal procedures. The first decision revoked the citizenship of Tarek Ibrahim Abdel Rahman Habib, born in Egypt's Beheira governorate in 1994, while the second targeted his brother Anas, born in Saudi Arabia in 1998.

Both rulings cited Law No. 26 of 1975 on Egyptian Nationality, which empowers the Cabinet to withdraw citizenship from nationals who acquire a foreign nationality without prior government authorization.

Who are Anas and Tarek Habib?

The brothers first came to prominence during a wave of protests outside Egyptian embassies in several European capitals in late July 2025. The largest and most intense demonstrations took place outside the Egyptian Embassy in The Hague, where protesters demanded the opening of the Rafah crossing and the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s starvation campaign.

Tensions escalated after protesters chained and locked the embassy’s main gate and threw red paint on its facade. Videos of the incidents circulated on social media, while diplomatic accounts reported further attempts to repeat the actions.

The incidents in the Netherlands sparked widespread anger among Egyptian officials. In televised remarks, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty described the protests outside Egyptian embassies as part of a “malicious campaign aimed at diverting attention from the crimes of genocide Israel is committing in the Gaza Strip.” He accused the Muslim Brotherhood’s international organization of orchestrating the demonstrations.

A leaked video also circulated showing Abdelatty meeting with several ambassadors. During the meeting, he sharply criticized Egypt’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Emad Hanna, accusing him of failing to protect the diplomatic mission. Abdelatty said the incidents in The Hague had encouraged other Egyptian expatriate communities to stage similar protests outside Egyptian embassies.

Abdelatty instructed diplomatic security personnel not to allow anyone to touch embassy walls. He ordered them to detain anyone attempting to place locks or throw paint, hold them inside the embassy and hand them over to local police. He also stressed that Egypt must not be portrayed as “a state being trampled on,” warning that the Netherlands could face reciprocal measures.

Protests subsequently took place outside the Dutch Embassy in Cairo’s Zamalek district. Participants condemned what they described as the Dutch authorities’ failure to adequately protect the Egyptian Embassy and prevent opponents from attempting to shut it down.

During the demonstrations, protesters held banners and chanted slogans accusing demonstrators in Europe of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood and demanding their handover to Egyptian authorities. They described locking the embassy gates in The Hague as “a crime that requires accountability, not freedom of expression,” while accusing Dutch authorities of providing cover for the protests.

A broader diplomatic crisis

As protests and their repercussions outside the Egyptian Embassy in The Hague continued in the following months, the dispute took on a broader diplomatic dimension. The Dutch Embassy announced that it was closing its doors to the public and evacuating its staff for security reasons.

Tensions between Cairo and The Hague also mounted after Dutch security authorities detained Egyptian national Ahmed Nasser, known as “Dabbaba,” (meaning “Tank”) in late October and questioned him over allegations that included acting on behalf of a foreign power.

The case concerns his alleged involvement in threats and intimidation during events and protests in the Netherlands in 2025 and 2026, including demonstrations outside the Egyptian Embassy. An Amsterdam court subsequently extended his detention by 30 days in connection with a separate criminal case, which Dutch news agency ANP reported concerned threats against Anas Habib.

Following Nasser’s arrest, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called his Dutch counterpart to seek clarification about the circumstances of the detention and request Nasser’s release. Nasser remains in pretrial detention under a judicial order in Amsterdam and is also being investigated on charges of assault and robbery involving violence.

Nasser had previously been prominent alongside Ahmed Abdelkader, known as “Mido,” in launching campaigns against demonstrations calling for the Rafah crossing to be opened. The campaigns took place outside diplomatic missions in Europe under the banner “Protecting Egyptian Embassies.”

The two men had previously been detained in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom following confrontations linked to those demonstrations. They later publicly thanked Egypt’s foreign minister for intervening on their behalf, speaking on behalf of an unofficial organization called the Union of Egyptian Youth Abroad.