Man living in Louisiana connected to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, U.S. says

Federal prosecutors accused a man in Louisiana of participating in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel, then traveling to the U.S. on a fraudulent visa, according to newly unsealed court documents. 

Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub al-Muhtadi, 33, was allegedly part of the National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a paramilitary group that has fought alongside Hamas and participated in the 2023 attack, according to the documents. 

Al-Muhtadi was charged with providing, attempting to provide or conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and the fraud and misuse of a visa or other documents. The charges were brought in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. 

Al-Muhtadi allegedly coordinated a “group of armed fighters” to cross into Israel after hearing about Hamas’ attack, according to the court documents. He told one man to “bring the rifles” and another to “get ready.” He also sent messages asking for ammunition and a bulletproof vest for another man. 

Al-Muhtadi’s phone pinged a cell tower near Kibbutz Kfar Aza at about 10:01 a.m. on Oct. 7, 2023, the documents said, a few hours after the attack began. Kibbutz Kfar Aza is just a few miles from Gaza’s border. Sixty people were killed there, and 19 were kidnapped, the court documents said. More than 1,200 people in Israel were killed and 250 taken hostage during the attack. The documents do not accuse al-Muhtadi of any killings or specific crimes.  

Al-Muhtadi allegedly coordinated a “group of armed fighters” to cross into Israel within hours of hearing about Hamas’ attack, according to the court documents. He told one man to “bring the rifles” and another to “get ready.” He also sent messages asking for ammunition and a bulletproof vest for another man. 

Al-Muhtadi allegedly submitted a U.S. visa application in June 2024, the court documents said. In the application, he said that he was not a member or representative of a terror organization, that he had no specialized skills or training, including firearm usage, and had never engaged in terrorist activities. 

He met with a U.S. Embassy consular official in August and entered the United States through Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Sept. 12, 2024, according to the documents. He lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for several months, the documents said. Photos shared by al-Muhtadi on social media show him posing with a gun in his Tulsa apartment. 

In early 2025, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents located al-Muhtadi living in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he worked in a local restaurant.

A person with al-Muhtadi’s name and birth date was being held at the St. Martin Parish Correctional Center near Lafayette, according to online records. He was booked into the facility on Thursday. He made his initial court appearance on Friday, according to court records. Online records did not make it clear if he had a lawyer. 

Federal prosecutors have previously charged six senior Hamas leaders with the deaths of at least 43 American citizens on Oct. 7. Those charged included former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in October 2024.