Copyright Newsweek
A Gazan man accused of being involved in the October 7 attacks on southern Israel two years ago has been arrested in Louisiana, according to justice officials. The Context Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, including 46 U.S. citizens. Another 251 people were taken as hostages into Gaza, eight of whom were U.S. citizens. Israel's war in Gaza in the two years since the attack devastated the territory and has killed more than 68,000 people, according to Hamas-run health authorities. Israel officials say the figures, which don't distinguish between combatants and civilians, are not reliable, but they are frequently referenced by international officials and agencies. The Justice Department announced earlier this year it was setting up Joint Task Force October 7 to focus on "targeting, charging, and securing for prosecution in the United States the direct perpetrators of the October 7 attack." What To Know Court documents allege Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi, 33, traveled to Israel after learning of the October 7 attacks, armed himself and recruited others to head for the country. His phone used a cell tower close to the Israeli kibbutz of Kfar Aza, which sits close to the Gaza border and was targeted during the Hamas-orchestrated attacks, according to the court documents. Al-Muhtadi then "fraudulently obtained a visa to enter the United States where he hoped to remain undetected," said John Eisenberg, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security. Authorities say he entered the U.S. on September 12, 2024, and was living in Lafayette when he was arrested on Thursday. He is accused of providing false information on his visa application relating to his history with paramilitary activities, links to Hamas, participation in a terror attack and military training. Al-Muhtadi is allegedly a member of National Resistance Brigades, the armed wing of the Marxist-Leninist organization, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine—itself an offshoot of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which lost popularity as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) gained status. Alongside Hamas, the armed branch of PIJ—the Quds Brigades—as well as the National Resistance Brigades, the PFLP's armed faction, the Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, and another group named the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades are believed to have taken part in the October 7 attacks. The Department of Justice said its task force was investigating the case alongside the FBI's New Orleans field office, with help from Israeli authorities, the Louisiana state police, Lafayette PD and Sheriff's Office, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The next stage of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal for Gaza hangs in the balance after Israel said it had launched a wave of airstrikes on the strip on Sunday, accusing Hamas of killing two Israeli soldiers. An Israeli security official said aid had been blocked from entering Gaza, The Associated Press reported on Sunday. Reports in Israeli media indicated the Kerem Shalom crossing into southern Gaza reopened on Monday. The first part of the President Donald Trump's 20-part peace plan for Gaza came into force on October 10, and Hamas has handed over the remaining 20 living hostages still held in the strip. Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Palestinian detainees. The bodies of the 28 deceased hostages are still being returned to Israel. Israeli media reported on Monday authorities were preparing for the remains of another hostage to be returned from Gaza later in the day. Israel says Hamas is still holding on to the remains of 16 hostages. What People Are Saying Eisenberg said in a statement: "This arrest is the first public step in bringing to justice those responsible for harming Americans on that day."
