A man accused of participating in the Hamas-led massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, has been arrested in Louisiana after allegedly lying on his US visa application and living undetected for nearly a year, the Associated Press reports.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed this week, Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi, a native of Gaza and a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) terrorist organization, armed himself and led a group across the border into southern Israel during the brutal attack that left over 1,200 dead and saw more than 250 hostages taken, including American citizens.
The complaint, filed by FBI Supervisory Special Agent Alexandria M. Thoman O’Donnell, details Al-Muhtadi’s role in the attack and his subsequent entry into the United States. O’Donnell serves on a task force investigating the murder and kidnapping of Americans during the attack.
On his June 2024 visa application submitted in Cairo, Al-Muhtadi denied any involvement in terrorist activity and claimed he intended to live in Tulsa, Oklahoma, working in car repairs or food services. He entered the US in September 2024 and later relocated to Lafayette, Louisiana, where he worked at a local restaurant.
The FBI says Al-Muhtadi’s social media and email accounts revealed years of affiliation with Hamas-aligned paramilitary groups, including firearms training. On the morning of the attack, following a call by Hamas commander Mohammed Deif for “the masses” to join in, Al-Muhtadi told his associates to “get ready” and “bring the rifles,” adding, “there is kidnapping, and it’s a game, which will be a good one.” He also requested ammunition.
During the attack, his phone pinged near Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where dozens of Israelis were murdered and 19 kidnapped. The FBI says he coordinated an armed group’s movement into Israel.
Despite warnings from an associate to avoid contact with the paramilitary group and refrain from posting Hamas-related content due to surveillance, Al-Muhtadi reportedly responded that he could post “whatever he wanted,” including images of Hamas leaders.
Al-Muhtadi faces charges of visa fraud and conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)