FBI Arrests Gazan Who Hid In Louisiana after Participating in Hamas' October 7 Attack 

Federal authorities have arrested a 33-year-old Gaza native living in Lafayette, Louisiana, on charges of providing material support to Hamas and participating in the terrorist group's deadly assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, according to a newly unsealed Justice Department affidavit.

Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi faces multiple counts of terrorism-related offenses, including conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, as well as visa fraud for allegedly concealing his terror affiliations to enter the United States.

The arrest, executed by the FBI's New Orleans field office in coordination with the Joint Task Force October 7, a multi-agency initiative launched in March 2025 to pursue perpetrators of the attack, marks a significant breakthrough in efforts to track down individuals involved in the assault that killed more than 1,200 people, including at least four Americans, and led to the abduction of over 250 hostages.

Al-Muhtadi, who had obtained legal permanent resident status in 2024, was living and working quietly in Louisiana at the time of his detention on October 16, according to court records.

Prosecutors allege Al-Muhtadi served as an operative for the National Resistance Brigades (NRB), the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), a U.S.-designated terrorist group that aligned with Hamas for the incursion.

On the morning of the attack, he reportedly learned of the Hamas invasion via social media messages, including one stating "I see war" at 6:34 a.m., and another depicting a Hamas paraglider breaching the border.

Within minutes, he allegedly armed himself with a rifle, gathered a group of fighters, whom he referred to as his "young men" in intercepted communications and crossed from Gaza into Israel to join the assault.

Cell tower data places Al-Muhtadi's phone near Kibbutz Kfar Aza, a community ravaged in the massacre where dozens of residents were killed and 19 abducted, shortly after the border breach.

Intercepted messages and recordings purportedly capture him coordinating the movement of fighters and weapons, celebrating kidnappings, and praising the operation as part of the "liberation of occupied land."

Photos and videos seized by investigators show him in tactical gear, wielding weapons, including a Glock handgun, and posing with NRB members wearing Hamas-style headbands and insignia, as reported by Fox News.

To evade detection, Al-Muhtadi allegedly lied on his U.S. visa application submitted in September 2023, denying any paramilitary involvement, Hamas connections, military training, or participation in terrorist acts. These falsehoods allowed him to enter the country and secure a green card, where he resided undetected until the task force's probe uncovered his digital footprint.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg described him as a "monster hiding out in the U.S.," emphasizing the case's role in holding October 7 perpetrators accountable.

Al-Muhtadi made his initial court appearance in Lafayette federal court on Friday, where he was ordered detained pending a preliminary hearing. He has not yet entered a plea, and it remains unclear if he has retained counsel.

The FBI and Justice Department have not disclosed whether the investigation extends to Al-Muhtadi's U.S. contacts or associates for potential ties to extremist networks.