Washington – Zaytoun News
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it has arrested a Palestinian in Louisiana on suspicion of involvement in the October 7, 2023 attack. Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi, 33, was born in Gaza. According to media reports, he is a member of the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, known as the “National Resistance Brigades.”
Al-Muhtadi, who was living in Lafayette, Louisiana, was arrested on Thursday, according to a statement from the Department of Justice. He works at a local restaurant.
He appeared before a federal judge on Friday, facing charges of “providing material support to a terrorist organization”, referring to Hamas, and making false statements to obtain a U.S. visa, according to court documents.
The criminal complaint states that on the morning of October 7, 2023, Al-Muhtadi learned of the Hamas incursion, armed himself, gathered others, and crossed into Israel with the aim of assisting in the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation.
It adds that evidence indicates Al-Muhtadi’s phone connected to a cell tower near Kibbutz Kfar Aza in Israel, the location of the Hamas operation.
The complaint also includes excerpts from phone calls believed to have been made by Al-Muhtadi on the morning of October 7, 2023, discussing his plans to join the operation.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Al-Muhtadi’s arrest was based on information provided by the Israeli government and the work of a joint task force formed to investigate the attack, which killed 49 Americans among more than 1,200 Israelis.
Al-Muhtadi faces charges of conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and making false statements to obtain a visa, according to the authorities.
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