Man who fought for Hamas in October 7 attack fled to US and lived in Louisiana, FBI alleges | FBI
The FBI has charged a Louisiana resident with participating in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, then lying about his past and fraudulently obtaining a visa to live in the United States.
According to a recently unsealed FBI criminal complaint, Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub al-Muhtadi armed himself and assembled a group to cross from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel during the attack that left more than 1,200 people dead.
Hamas fighters also kidnapped more than 250 people, including dozens of American citizens, during the raid. On October 13, Hamas released the remaining 20 hostages after the two sides agreed to a tenuous ceasefire in Palestine.
Al-Muhtadi was a member of the Gaza-based military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, according to the complaint prepared by FBI Supervisory Special Agent Alexandria M Thoman O’Donnell and submitted to a federal judge on October 6. O’Donnell is part of a task force investigating the murder and kidnapping of U.S. citizens in the Oct. 7 attack.
In his U.S. visa application, al-Muhtadi denied ever being involved in terrorist activities and became a legal permanent resident in 2024, the complaint states.
The complaint says the agent requested an arrest warrant for al-Muhtadi on October 6, but does not specify when or where he was arrested. The complaint says he could face charges of visa fraud and conspiracy to support a foreign terrorist organization.
Inmate records show a person of the same name and age is being held at the St. Martin Parish Correctional Center, Louisiana, near Lafayette. He was scheduled to appear in federal court Friday.
No attorney was identified for al-Muhtadi in filings in federal court. The FBI declined to provide further details to The Associated Press, citing the government shutdown.
Al-Muhtadi’s social media and email accounts revealed a years-long affiliation with a Hamas-aligned paramilitary group, including providing him with firearms training, according to the FBI.
On the morning of October 7, 2023, after Hamas forces attacked Israel, Mohammed Deif, then Hamas military commander, called on “the masses” to join us.
Al-Muhtadi told his associates to “get ready” and “bring the guns” — and that “there is a kidnapping, and it’s a game, which will be good,” according to phone calls reviewed by the FBI. He also asked an associate to bring ammunition.
The FBI says al-Muhtadi coordinated an armed group’s trip to Israel and that during the attack, his phone rang on a cell tower near Kfar Aza, an Israeli village where dozens of residents were killed and about 19 others were kidnapped.
In June 2024, al-Muhtadi submitted an electronic application for a US visa in Cairo. In his application, he denied serving in a paramilitary organization or ever participating in terrorist activities. His application stated that he intended to live in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and work in “auto repair or restoration.” It entered the United States in September 2024.
Al-Muhtadi lived in Tulsa until May, but by early June he had moved to Lafayette, where he worked at a local restaurant, according to the FBI.
An unidentified FBI agent met with al-Muhtadi several times in Lafayette from July to September of this year.
An associate advised al-Muhtadi not to contact any members of the paramilitary group because they were under surveillance in the United States and to avoid posting on social media in support of Hamas. The FBI says al-Muhtadi responded that he could post whatever he wanted, including photos of Hamas leaders, and that he would be safe.
