A Gazan man accused of directly participating in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel has been arrested in the United States, marking a dramatic turn in international efforts to bring the perpetrators of that atrocity to justice.
Federal authorities announced the arrest of Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi, 33, a native of Gaza currently residing in Lafayette, Louisiana. Al-Muhtadi is accused of taking part in the slaughter of civilians at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the Israeli communities hardest hit by Hamas and its allied terror factions on that day, and later fraudulently obtaining a visa to hide in the United States.
“After hiding out in the United States, this monster has been found and charged with participating in the atrocities of October 7 — the single deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi, who established the Justice Department’s Joint Task Force October 7 (JTF 10-7) earlier this year. “While nothing can fully heal the scars left by Hamas’s brutal attack, our task force is dedicated to finding and prosecuting those responsible — including the murderers of American citizens. We will continue to stand with Jewish Americans and with the Jewish people worldwide against antisemitism and terrorism in all its forms.”
According to court documents unsealed Thursday, Al-Muhtadi was a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and its military wing, the National Resistance Brigades (NRB) — a Gaza-based terrorist faction that joined Hamas’s invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023.
Investigators say that early that morning, Al-Muhtadi learned of the Hamas assault through social media. Within hours, he armed himself, recruited additional fighters, and crossed into Israel to join the attacks.
At 9:33 a.m., his cellphone pinged a tower near Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where terrorists massacred entire families and murdered at least 62 residents and 18 security personnel. Nineteen others were kidnapped and dragged into Gaza. Four of the victims were U.S. citizens.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said that Al-Muhtadi “sprang into action” upon hearing of the assault.
“He armed himself, recruited additional marauders, and entered Israel, where evidence places him near one of the worst-hit communities,” Eisenberg said. “Subsequently, Al-Muhtadi fraudulently obtained a visa to enter the United States, where he hoped to remain undetected. This arrest is the first public step in bringing to justice those responsible for harming Americans on that day.”
The criminal complaint details a damning trail of evidence linking Al-Muhtadi to the October 7 atrocities. Messages recovered from his phone show him wearing an NRB headband and brandishing weapons. He also sent photos of a document showing his possession of arms marked as the “property of the National Resistance Brigades.”
In one exchange, he referred to his fellow terrorists as “my young men,” suggesting a leadership role within the NRB. He also bragged about a 2021 attack on an Israeli military post, saying, “I swear by God, we burned them!”
Investigators say that recorded calls on the morning of October 7 captured Al-Muhtadi coordinating the attack, ordering his men to bring rifles and bulletproof vests, and boasting that “the borders are open.”
Referring to Israelis celebrating the Simchat Torah holiday, he mocked them as “still drunk because it’s the last day of their Eid,” using the Muslim term for a festival.
“There are lots of soldiers who have been kidnapped,” he said in one call. “It’s a game, which will be a good one.” He also expressed hope that the war would spread to Syria and Lebanon and become “a third world war,” adding, “That will be perfect.”
In June 2024, after months in hiding, Al-Muhtadi applied for a U.S. immigrant visa at the American Embassy in Cairo. He lied on his sworn application, denying any ties to militant groups, training, or acts of violence.
He was granted the visa and entered the United States via Dallas, Texas, on September 12, 2024, later settling in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he worked in a restaurant. He even obtained an Oklahoma driver’s license.
Al-Muhtadi’s posts on social media revealed him posing with a handgun, and images surfaced showing his children holding the same weapon.
In May 2025, Israeli intelligence alerted U.S. authorities to his role in the October 7 assault. Within weeks, FBI agents from the New Orleans Field Office located him in Louisiana. After months of surveillance, he was arrested earlier this month.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana praised the close coordination between American and Israeli authorities.
“Let this arrest serve as a reminder that those who perpetrate acts of terrorism cannot evade justice by hiding in our communities,” Keller said.
“State, local, and federal law enforcement — along with our partners in Israel — are working tirelessly to bring these people to justice.”
The investigation was carried out by JTF 10-7 in cooperation with the FBI New Orleans Field Office and Israeli security agencies, including Lahav 433, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), the Israel Defense Forces, and the Israel National Police.
The Justice Department’s Joint Task Force October 7 was established in February 2025 by Attorney General Bondi to investigate and prosecute individuals involved in Hamas’s massacre — the deadliest single day for Jews since the Holocaust.
The coordinated invasion by Hamas and its allies left approximately 1,200 people dead, including 49 American citizens, and 250 kidnapped, among them eight Americans.
Bondi’s task force aims to dismantle Hamas’s global networks, pursue its supporters abroad, and defend Jewish communities against the surge of antisemitism that followed the attacks.
“October 7 lives in infamy not only for Israel, but for all humanity,” Bondi said. “This arrest sends a clear message: there is no hiding place for those who take part in the slaughter of Jews.”
Al-Muhtadi is currently being held in St. Martin Parish Jail near Lafayette, Louisiana. He faces federal charges for providing material support to a terrorist organization and visa fraud.
If convicted, he could face decades in federal prison before possible extradition to Israel, where authorities have signaled their intent to seek his prosecution for war crimes and murder.
