LA Resident Accused of Assisting Hamas in 7 October Attack on Israeli Territory, American Authorities Allege
US federal attorneys have accused a LA inhabitant of taking part in the October 7 attack by the militant faction on Israel, according to recently revealed court papers.
The defendant, thirty-three, allegedly armed himself and became part of a paramilitary group that fought alongside Hamas in the 2023 incursion that claimed the lives of 1,195 Israeli citizens, triggering two years of fighting that resulted in the deaths of thousands more.
A year after the incident, he supposedly journeyed to the US on a fraudulent visa and obtained status as a long-term resident.
Mr al-Muhtadi was charged with providing, trying to furnish or plotting to deliver material support to a designated terror group and the fraud and misuse of a travel document or other documents.
Alleged Role with Armed Faction
Mr al-Muhtadi was allegedly an operative of the NRB, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, as stated in the legal filing brought by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
He is charged of coordinating a "unit of militants" to enter into Israeli territory upon learning about the raid and requested one man to "carry the rifles", legal papers indicate.
Mr al-Muhtadi dispatched messages asking other persons to bring a protective gear for a different individual and ammunition, prosecutors claim.
Hours following the 7 October assault started, his mobile device connected to a cell tower near Kibbutz Kfar Aza, the sight of a massacre, the documents stated.
Judicial Proceedings and Response
The complaint indicated that Mr al-Muhtadi rejected ever having been involved in acts of terror on his US immigration form.
After arriving to the United States, he resided in a handful of places before settling in the Louisiana city, where he worked in a nearby eatery.
He was arrested on Thursday, the Justice Department announced.
In a hearing in Louisiana on the following day, he was questioned if he comprehended the charges facing him, an interpreter rendered his answer as "yes, but there are a lot of things mentioned here that are so false, I'm innocent", according to sources.
The documents do not accuse Mr al-Muhtadi of specific offenses or homicides. US attorneys have previously charged high-ranking individuals of Hamas with the fatalities of US nationals on 7 October.
