LA Resident Accused of Aiding Hamas in 7 October Attack on Israel, American Prosecutors Allege
US federal attorneys have accused a Louisiana resident of participating in the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel, according to recently unsealed legal documents.
The defendant, 33, reportedly armed himself and joined a militia group that fought alongside Hamas in the 2023 attack that claimed the lives of 1,195 Israeli citizens, triggering two years of fighting that killed many additional individuals.
A year after the attack, he supposedly journeyed to the US on a fake visa and became a long-term resident.
Mr al-Muhtadi was indicted with providing, attempting to furnish or plotting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and the deception and misuse of a travel document or other documents.
Alleged Involvement with Armed Faction
The defendant was allegedly an member of the National Resistance Brigades, the armed branch of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, as stated in the legal filing filed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
He is accused of coordinating a "group of militants" to cross into Israel after hearing about the attack and requested one man to "carry the rifles", legal documents indicate.
Mr al-Muhtadi sent communications asking other persons to provide a bulletproof vest for a different individual and ammunition, authorities allege.
Hours following the 7 October attack began, his phone connected to a signal tower close to Kibbutz Kfar Aza, the sight of a deadly event, the records stated.
Legal Proceedings and Defense
The complaint said that Mr al-Muhtadi denied ever having been involved in terrorist activities on his US immigration form.
After coming to the US, he lived in a handful of places before settling in the Louisiana city, where he was employed in a nearby eatery.
He was taken into custody on the past Thursday, the Justice Department said.
In a hearing in LA on the following day, he was asked if he comprehended the allegations against him, an interpreter translated his answer as "yes, but there are a lot of points stated in this document that are so incorrect, I am not guilty", as reported by sources.
The court filings do not charge the defendant of specific crimes or homicides. US prosecutors have previously charged senior individuals of the group with the deaths of US nationals on 7 October.
