Louisiana Resident Accused of Assisting Hamas in 7 October Attack on Israel, US Prosecutors Say
US prosecutors have charged a Louisiana resident of taking part in the 7 October raid by the militant faction on Israeli soil, according to newly unsealed legal documents.
The defendant, thirty-three, allegedly armed him and joined a paramilitary unit that fought together with Hamas in the 2023 attack that killed 1,195 Israelis, triggering 24 months of fighting that killed many additional individuals.
A year after the incident, he supposedly travelled to the US on a fake entry permit and obtained status as a long-term resident.
The accused was indicted with providing, attempting to furnish or conspiring to deliver assistance to a foreign terrorist organization and the deception and improper use of a travel document or additional papers.
Reported Involvement with Armed Group
The defendant was allegedly an operative of the NRB, the military wing of the DFLP, as stated in the complaint brought by the FBI.
He is charged of organizing a "unit of armed fighters" to enter into Israeli territory upon learning about the raid and asked one man to "carry the firearms", court documents show.
The suspect dispatched communications asking others to bring a bulletproof vest for another man and ammunition, authorities allege.
Hours following the 7 October assault started, his mobile device pinged a cell tower close to Kibbutz Kfar Aza, the location of a deadly event, the records said.
Legal Process and Defense
The legal document said that the accused denied ever having been involved in acts of terror on his American immigration form.
After arriving to the United States, he lived in a handful of locations before settling in the Louisiana city, where he was employed in a local eatery.
He was arrested on Thursday, the DOJ announced.
In a court appearance in Louisiana on Friday, he was asked if he comprehended the allegations against him, an interpreter rendered his response as "affirmative, but there are a lot of things stated here that are so incorrect, I am not guilty", according to sources.
The documents do not accuse Mr al-Muhtadi of particular crimes or homicides. US prosecutors have in the past charged senior members of the group with the deaths of US citizens on October 7.
