Palestinian man in Louisiana charged with participating in Oct 7 massacre, lying on visa application: DOJ

( Post Millennial )

A man currently residing in Lafayette, Louisiana has been charged with falsifying statements on a visa application and participating in the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’ October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel.

A sworn affidavit from FBI Supervisory Special Agent Alexandria M Thoman O’Donnell stated that Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al Muhtadi is "an operative for the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s ('DFPL') military wing, the National Resistance Brigades ('NRB', also known as the 'Martyr Umar al-Qasim Forces'), a Gaza-based paramilitary group that participated in the Hamas-led terrorist attack against Israel on October 7, 2023." DFPL and Hamas were said to have worked together prior to October 7 as part of a "Joint Operations Room" to coordinate campaigns between military factions in Gaza against Israel.

The affidavit stated that on the morning of October 7, Al-Muhtadi learned of the Hamas invasion, "armed himself, gathered others, and crossed into Israel with the intention of assisting Hamas’s terrorist attack." It was found that his cell phone utilized a cell tower located near Israel’s Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where its residents were brutally massacred.

"Evidence further shows that Al-Muhtadi provided false information in his US Visa application relating to his involvement with a paramilitary organization, connection to Hamas, participation in a terrorist attack, and military training. As a result of that false application, Al-Muhtadi was able to obtain permission to travel to the United States and obtain Legal Permanent Resident status. Al-Muhtadi is currently residing and working in Lafayette, Louisiana."

Al-Muhtadi has been charged with providing, attempting to provide, or conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and fraud or misuse of visa, permits, or other documents.

The affidavit stated that over the course of years leading up to the attack, Al-Muhtadi sent messages to social media users containing photos of himself alongside other armed militants. "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," the affidavit stated.

On June 26, 2024, an individual by the name of Mahmoud Almuhtadi submitted an Immigrant Visa Application that indicated he was born in Gaza on November 2, 1991, lived there until March 2024, and resided in Cairo, Egypt at the time the application was filled out. The visa indicated that he did not have any specialized skills or training, had never been part of a paramilitary unit, had never engaged in terrorist activities, had never provided support to terrorist organizations, was not a member of a terrorist organization, and more.

Al-Muhtadi entered the US on September 12, 2024 through the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. In his application, he indicated that he intended to live in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and work in "car repairs or food services."