Palestinian living in Louisiana accused of participating in Oct 7 Hamas attacks, entered US on fraudulent visa

Last Thursday, U.S. Department of Justice officials announced the arrest of a man in Louisiana, accusing him of participating in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacres in Israel, before entering the U.S. on a fraudulent visa during the administration of President Joe Biden. 

Authorities identified the man as Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi, 33 years old, from the Gaza Strip. 

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement, “After hiding out in the United States, this monster has been found and charged with participating in the atrocities of Oct. 7, the single deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust.” 

“While nothing can fully heal the scars left by Hamas’s brutal attack, this Department’s Joint Task Force October 7 is dedicated to finding and prosecuting those responsible for that horrific day, including the murder of dozens of American citizens,” Bondi continued. 

“We will continue to stand by Jewish Americans and Jewish people around the world against anti-Semitism and terrorism in all its forms.” 

The DOJ statement said that al-Muhtadi, upon hearing of the unfolding Hamas-led attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, “sprang into action.” 

The U.S. alleges that al-Muhtadi is an operative for the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s (DFLP) military wing, which is associated with the National Resistance Brigades (NRB, also known as the Martyr Umar al-Qasim Forces), a Gaza-based paramilitary group that participated in the Hamas-led terrorist attack. 

— Huge Breaking News: Louisiana Man Joined Hamas for October 7th Massacre —

Federal prosecutors in Louisiana accused a man of participating in the Hamas-led October 2023 attack on Israel and then traveling to the United States on a fraudulent visa, according to a criminal… pic.twitter.com/aN1oumEHxe

— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) October 17, 2025

Unlike the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, the DFLP was not part of the planning for the Oct. 7 attacks, however, the group quickly joined the fighting as soon as Hamas announced its invasion of Israel. 

The DOJ charges that upon learning of the attacks, al-Muhtadi took weapons, gathered fellow members of the DFLP, and “crossed into Israel with the intention of assisting in Hamas’s terrorist attack.” 

The DOJ complaint said that al-Muhtadi’s personal cell phone pinged a cellular phone tower located near Kibbutz Kfar Aza in Israel, which was the site of a large-scale massacre, which led to the deaths of four American citizens. 

Following the Oct. 7 attacks, al-Muhtadi fled into Egypt, from which he applied for a U.S. visa. According to the DOJ, al-Muhtadi provided false information on his visa application, particularly as regards his involvement with a terror-affiliated paramilitary organization, his connection to the Hamas terror organization, and his participation in the attacks. 

Congratulations! I’m happy that the FBI has just arrested a Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood Hamas terrorist, one of the October 7th attackers, in Louisiana. The 33-year-old took part in the massacre in Israel, kidnapping babies and raping women, then entered the U.S. on a… pic.twitter.com/bSFRJdSjlH

— Amjad Taha أمجد طه (@amjadt25) October 17, 2025

The DOJ statement said that al-Muhtadi’s presence in the U.S. was discovered by the Joint Task Force Oct. 7 (JTF 10-7), established by Attorney General Pam Bondi in February, 2025.

The case is being investigated by the JTF 10-7, along with the New Orleans FBI field office, with assistance from Israeli authorities, including the State Attorney’s Office of Israel, the Israeli Security Agency, Lahav 433 and the Intelligence and Investigation Department of the Israel National Police, the Israel Defense Forces, and the Israeli National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing.