The FBI arrested a suspect in Louisiana who allegedly participated in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. An affidavit accuses Mahmoud Amin Ya-qub Al-Muhtadi, a Gazan and a resident of Lafayette, Louisiana, of violating federal law by providing, attempting to provide, or conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation through his alleged involvement in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel. He is also accused of fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents. Al-Muhtadi is expected to make an initial court appearance on Friday morning, according to The New York Times.“After hiding out in the United States, this monster has been found and charged with participating in the atrocities of October 7 — the single deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “While nothing can fully heal the scars left by Hamas’s brutal attack, this Department’s Joint Task Force October 7 is dedicated to finding and prosecuting those responsible for that horrific day, including the murder of dozens of American citizens. We will continue to stand by Jewish Americans and Jewish people around the world against anti-Semitism and terrorism in all its forms.”“As set forth in documents filed yesterday, on October 7, when Al-Muhtadi learned of the unfolding barbaric attack on Israel and civilians from multiple nations, including the United States, he sprang into action. He armed himself, recruited additional marauders, and then entered Israel, where there is evidence placing him near one of the worst-hit Israeli communities,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Subsequently, Al-Muhtadi fraudulently obtained a visa to enter the United States where he hoped to remain undetected. This arrest is the first public step in bringing to justice those responsible for harming Americans on that day.”
Who is Al-Muhtadi?
Court documents allege that Al-Muhtadi is an operative of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s (DFLP) military wing, the National Resistance Brigades (NRB, also called the Martyr Umar al-Qasim Forces), a Gaza-based paramilitary group involved in Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel. According to the complaint, Al-Muhtadi armed himself and crossed into Israel on the morning of Oct. 7 to join Hamas’s assault. His phone was reportedly traced to a cell tower near Kibbutz Kfar Aza, the site of a massacre in which many civilians were killed, including at least four Americans. Al-Muhtadi is also accused of providing false information on his U.S. visa application regarding his paramilitary affiliation, ties to Hamas, training, and participation in the Oct. 7 attacks. Records indicate he entered the United States on Sept. 12, 2024. The case is being investigated by Joint Task Force October 7 (JTF 10-7) and the FBI New Orleans Field Office, with support from Israeli authorities including the Israeli Security Agency, Lahav 433, IDF, and the Israel National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing, as well as U.S. agencies such as Customs and Border Protection and Louisiana State Police. Prosecutors include Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Nickel and Zoe Bedell, along with Trial Attorneys from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. JTF 10-7, established in February 2025 by Attorney General Pamela Bondi, was specifically created to investigate perpetrators of the Oct. 7 attacks, hold Hamas supporters accountable, and pursue justice for victims, including the 49 U.S. citizens killed and eight abducted. Go to Source
