HOUSTON — Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday announced that he instructed the Texas Department of Public Safety to launch a criminal investigation into the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

"The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable and have no place in Texas," a letter from Abbott said.

Earlier this week, Abbott announced that he had designated the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations , banning them from buying or acquiring land in Texas and authorizing the Texas Attorney General to sue to shut them down.

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