Federal prosecutors have unsealed a criminal complaint detailing explosive allegations that a man accused of participating in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel subsequently gained legal status in the United States by submitting a fraudulent visa application.
The suspect, Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub al-Muhtadi, 33, is facing charges after a 44-page complaint, filed on October 6 in the Western District of Louisiana, was made public on Thursday.
The document alleges al-Muhtadi was an operative for a paramilitary faction that fought alongside Hamas in the assault that killed over 1,200 people and resulted in approximately 250 hostages being taken into Gaza.
Allegations of Direct Involvement
Court records describe al-Muhtadi as a member of the National Resistance Brigades, the militant wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). The complaint, signed by FBI Supervisory Special Agent Alexandria M. Thoman O’Donnell, states, “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 with the intention of assisting in Hamas’s terrorist attack.”
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Investigators claim his phone was connected to an Israeli cell tower near a kibbutz where more than 60 civilians were killed. Furthermore, the FBI says he exchanged messages on the morning of the attack, instructing others to “bring the rifles” and a bulletproof vest and telling another fighter to “get ready.”
Fraudulent Visa and US Residency
According to the criminal complaint, al-Muhtadi applied for and received a U.S. immigrant visa by allegedly lying on the application filed in Cairo. The man, who submitted the paperwork under the name Mahmoud Almuhtadi and listed his birthplace as Gaza, denied any involvement with militant groups or terrorist activity.
Despite his alleged role in the October 7 attacks, al-Muhtadi successfully entered the U.S. through Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on September 12, 2024.
The complaint states he later lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Lafayette, Louisiana, where he reportedly worked in car repairs or food services. FBI agents also discovered images on his social media showing him posing with a Glock handgun alongside his children.
Al-Muhtadi is expected to appear before Magistrate Judge David J. Ayo for an initial hearing on Friday. The case falls under a Justice Department task force established in March to identify and prosecute individuals connected to the October 7 massacre.
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