Louisiana Resident Charged of Assisting Hamas in October 7 Attack on Israel, US Prosecutors Allege
American prosecutors have charged a Louisiana resident of taking part in the 7 October raid by Hamas on Israel, according to newly unsealed court documents.
The defendant, 33, allegedly equipped him and became part of a militia unit that engaged alongside the organization in the 2023 attack that killed 1,195 Israelis, triggering 24 months of conflict that resulted in the deaths of thousands more.
Twelve months after the incident, he supposedly journeyed to the United States on a fraudulent entry permit and obtained status as a permanent resident.
The accused was charged with providing, trying to furnish or plotting to deliver material support to a designated terror group and the fraud and misuse of a visa or additional papers.
Alleged Involvement with Militant Group
The defendant was allegedly an operative of the National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of the DFLP, as stated in the complaint filed by the FBI.
He is charged of organizing a "unit of militants" to cross into Israel upon hearing about the attack and asked one individual to "carry the rifles", legal documents indicate.
The suspect sent communications instructing other persons to bring a protective gear for a different individual and ammunition, authorities claim.
A short time after the 7 October attack began, his mobile device connected to a signal tower close to the kibbutz, the sight of a massacre, the documents said.
Judicial Proceedings and Defense
The complaint said that Mr al-Muhtadi denied ever having been involved in acts of terror on his US visa application.
After arriving to the United States, he lived in a few of locations before landing in the Louisiana city, where he worked in a nearby eatery.
He was arrested on the past Thursday, the Justice Department announced.
During a court appearance in Louisiana on Friday, he was asked if he understood the allegations facing him, an interpreter translated his response as "yes, but there are a lot of things mentioned here that are so false, I am not guilty", as reported by sources.
The documents do not accuse Mr al-Muhtadi of particular offenses or homicides. US attorneys have in the past charged senior members of the group with the fatalities of American nationals on 7 October.
