In a startling development, an illegal immigrant residing in Louisiana has been accused of taking part in the Hamas-led offensive against Israel on October 7, 2023. Federal prosecutors allege that Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi armed himself and rallied a group to breach the border from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel during this assault, which resulted in over 1,200 fatalities. The attackers also abducted more than 250 individuals, including numerous Americans, during the operation.

Recently unsealed court documents reveal that Al-Muhtadi held a significant position within the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a Gaza-based terrorist organization that collaborated closely with Hamas during the attack. According to the complaint, “Evidence shows that on the morning of October 7, 2023, Al-Muhtadi learned about the Hamas invasion, armed himself, gathered others, and crossed into Israel intending to assist in Hamas’s terrorist attack.” Yet, when he later sought a U.S. visa, Al-Muhtadi denied any involvement in terrorist activities, ultimately becoming a legal permanent resident in 2024.

Prior to his recent arrest in Lafayette, Louisiana, Al-Muhtadi was employed at a local restaurant. He now faces charges for visa fraud and conspiracy to support a foreign terrorist organization, with the possibility of additional charges as the investigation proceeds. The criminal complaint, accessed by the Daily Mail, highlights Al-Muhtadi’s long-standing connection with the New Resistance Brigades, as evidenced by his social media activity over the years.

He was seen in photographs wearing the red headband of the group, and on December 12, 2019, Al-Muhtadi sent another social media user a message containing what appears to be a photograph of an official New Resistance Brigades form on official letterhead bearing his signature, according to the complaint. Then in September 2020, Al-Muhtadi sent another social media user the message, ‘This is my group,’ along with a photo of militants wearing headbands featuring the terrorist group’s logo. When the other social media user asked how many there are, he allegedly replied: ‘I have 15 young men.’

By May 27, 2022, another user sent Al-Muhtadi the message: ‘The battalions’ youth are ready,’ the criminal complaint claims. Other photos allegedly showed him donning a vest labeled ‘Wahdat al-Nukhba,’ which is the group’s elite unit. ‘Based on my training and experience, I believe these messages and communications indicate that al-Muhtadi was sufficiently senior in the NRB to have been tasked with training younger militants,’ Supervisory Special Agent Alexandria M. Thomas O’Donnell wrote in her affidavit, which was submitted to a federal judge on October 6 of this year. She serves on a task force investigating the murder and kidnapping of American citizens during the attack two years ago. Al-Muhtadi also had an apparent history of engaging in attacks on Israel.

According to the complaint, he sent another social media user a message describing a New Resistance Brigades attack on a military outpost in the country, near the Gaza border. ‘I swear by God, we burned them!’ he allegedly wrote. ‘This battle is different for us. God is the helper! Long live the resistance.’ In phone calls the US government obtained from October 7, 2023, Al-Muhtadi also ‘described his knowledge of Hamas’s attack on Israel; his intention to participate in that attack; his effort to gather manpower and munitions before crossing the border; his travel towards Israel; his efforts to avoid detection and his eventual crossing over the border into Israel,’ O’Donnell wrote.

She said that after Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas, called for ‘the masses’ to join in on the attack, Al-Muhtadi told his associates to ‘get ready’ and ‘bring the rifles’ and a ‘full magazine.’ He even allegedly told his colleagues that ‘there is kidnapping and it’s a game, which will be a good one.’ ‘If things go the way they should, Syria will take part, Lebanon will take part… and it’s going to be a third world war,’ Al-Muhtadi reportedly said. The FBI further alleged that Al-Muhtadi coordinated an armed group to travel into Israel, and that during the attack, his phone pinged a cell tower near Kibbutz Kfar Aza, an Israeli village were nearly 60 people were killed and 16 were kidnapped. The victims included one kidnapped American citizen, and at least four murdered US citizens, O’Donnell noted.

Less than a year after the attack, the affidavit says Al-Muhtadi submitted an electronic US visa application in Cairo. In the application, he denied serving in any paramilitary organization or having ever engaged in terrorist activities. The application said he had intended to live in Tulsa, Oklahoma and work in ‘car repairs or food services.’ He then entered the United States in September 2024, under the Biden administration. Once he entered the US, the affidavit says, an associate advised Al-Muhtadi not to contact anyone from the paramilitary group because he was under surveillance, and to avoid posting on social media in support of Hamas.

The FBI says Al-Muhtadi responded that he could post whatever he wanted, including pictures of Hamas leaders, and he would be safe. He had been living in Tulsa through May but by early June had relocated to Lafayette. An unidentified FBI agent then met repeatedly with Al-Muhtadi in Lafayette from July to September this year. The alleged terrorist appeared in court for the first time on Friday, KATC reports. He participated in proceedings with the help of a public defender and a translator, indicating that he had not read the affidavit – prompting the judge to read it aloud. When he was then asked if he understood what he was accused of, Al-Muhtadi said he did as he maintained his innocence. He is now being held at Calcasieu Correctional Center.

‘After hiding out in the United States, this monster has been found and charged with participating in the atrocities of October 7 – the single deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust,’ Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. ‘While nothing can fully heal the scars left by Hamas’ 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,’ she continued. ‘We will continue to stand by Jewish Americans and Jewish people around the world against anti-Semitism and terrorism in all its forms.’ Assistant Attorney General for national Security John A Eisenberg added that Al-Muhtadi’s arrest is ‘the first step in bringing to justice those responsible for harming Americans on that day.’

US Attorney Zachary A. Keller also said: ‘Let this arrest serve as a reminder, both that those who perpetrate acts of terrorism cannot evade justice by hiding in our communities and that state, local and federal law enforcement… are working tirelessly to bring these people to justice.’ Louisiana state officials also celebrated the news of Al-Muhtadi’s arrest. ‘Justice will be served,’ Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry vowed on X, suggesting that Al-Muhtadi might be sent to the newly opened immigration detention wing of the state’s maximum security prison, known as ‘Louisiana Lockup.’ Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murill also described the October 7 attack as ‘evil personified.’

‘If what is alleged is true, this person needs to be prosecuted to the absolute fullest extent of the law,’ she said. ‘If the death penalty is available, the federal government should seek it. If state charges can be lodged, we will seek them. ‘I continue to pray for the victims of Hamas’s evil actions that day and afterward,’ she noted. US Sen. Bill Cassidy additionally released a statement on social media thanking law enforcement for their work. ‘Anyone involved in the October 7th attacks committed a crime against humanity and deserves to be behind bars.’