Feds capture Oct. 7 terrorist hiding in US with fraudulent visa

Federal prosecutors claim a man who partook in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel gained legal status in the U.S. after lying on a visa application, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday.

The suspect, 33-year-old Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub al-Muhtadi, is accused of belonging to a paramilitary faction in Gaza that took part in the Hamas assault, which killed over 1,200 people, including Americans, and saw roughly 250 hostages dragged into Gaza. Al-Muhtadi allegedly helped organize armed fighters and entered Israel after the first wave of Hamas militants crossed the border, according to the 44-page complaint filed on Oct. 6 in the Western District of Louisiana.

Court records describe al-Muhtadi as an operative for the National Resistance Brigades, the militant wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine that fought alongside Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack.

“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,” according to the complaint signed by FBI Supervisory Special Agent Alexandria M. Thoman O’Donnell.

Al-Muhtadi exchanged several calls and messages during the morning of Oct. 7, telling another fighter to “get ready” and instructing others to “bring the rifles” and a bulletproof vest, according to the FBI. Investigators also say that his phone connected to an Israeli cell tower near a kibbutz where more than 60 civilians were killed.

Prosecutors say that al-Muhtadi applied for and received a U.S. immigrant visa using false information. Al-Muhtadi allegedly lied on an immigration visa application filed in Cairo, denying any involvement with militant groups or terrorist activity, according to the complaint.

The application, submitted under the name Mahmoud Almuhtadi, indicated he was born in Gaza and lived there until March 2024.

The complaint says al-Muhtadi later lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Lafayette, Louisiana, where he appeared to be working in car repairs or food services. FBI agents also discovered photos on his social media showing him posing with a Glock handgun alongside his children. He entered the U.S. through Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Sept. 12, 2024, the complaint states.

The FBI did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Al-Muhtadi is expected to appear before Magistrate Judge David J. Ayo for an initial hearing on Friday.

The case is part of a Justice Department task force launched in March to identify and prosecute individuals linked to the Oct. 7 massacre, according to the complaint.

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