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A man was in custody in Louisiana after federal prosecutors accused him of joining Hamas militants in attacking Israel in 2023. He was also accused of lying to obtain a U.S. visa.
Oct. 17, 2025Updated 5:40 a.m. ET
Federal prosecutors accused a man in Louisiana of participating in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Thursday.
The complaint described the man, identified in court documents as Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub al-Muhtadi, as an operative for a paramilitary group in Gaza that has fought alongside Hamas. It accused him of organizing other armed fighters in Gaza and crossing into Israel on Oct. 7 after learning of the Hamas attack, responding to a call for more fighters to join in the assault.
The complaint, filed on Oct. 6 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, was signed by Alexandria M. Thoman O’Donnell, a supervisory special agent with the F.B.I. Mr. al-Muhtadi faces charges including providing, attempting to provide, or conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and fraud and misuse of a visa, permits and other documents.
A 33-year-old man with the same name was held on Thursday at St. Martin Parish Correctional Center, near Lafayette, La., where he lived, according to inmate records.
Mr. al-Muhtadi was expected to make his initial appearance in court on Friday morning before Magistrate Judge David J. Ayo, according to court records.
