U.S. Says Louisiana Man Joined Hamas-Led 2023 Attack on Israel

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 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, 2023, following the first wave of Hamas militants.

The attack killed nearly 1,200 Israelis, including some who were also American citizens, and militants took about 250 people hostage to Gaza.

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 material support to a foreign terrorist organization and visa fraud.

Read more: New York Times