LA Resident Accused of Aiding Militant Group in October 7 Assault on Israel, American Authorities Say
US federal attorneys have charged a Louisiana resident of taking part in the 7 October attack by the militant faction on Israeli soil, as per recently unsealed court papers.
The defendant, 33, reportedly equipped himself and joined a paramilitary unit that engaged alongside Hamas during the 2023's incursion that claimed the lives of over a thousand Israeli citizens, triggering 24 months of fighting that resulted in the deaths of many additional individuals.
A year following the attack, he allegedly travelled to the US on a fake visa and obtained status as a permanent resident.
The accused was indicted with supplying, attempting to provide or conspiring to provide assistance to a designated terror group and the deception and improper use of a visa or additional papers.
Alleged Role with Armed Group
Mr al-Muhtadi was reportedly an operative of the NRB, the military wing of the DFLP, as stated in the complaint filed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
He is accused of coordinating a "unit of armed fighters" to enter into Israel upon hearing about the attack and requested one man to "carry the firearms", court papers show.
Mr al-Muhtadi dispatched messages asking others to bring a bulletproof vest for a different individual and rounds, authorities claim.
Hours following the 7 October attack began, his phone pinged a cell tower near the kibbutz, the location of a massacre, the documents stated.
Legal Proceedings and Defense
The complaint indicated that the accused denied ever having been engaged in terrorist activities on his American visa application.
After coming to the United States, he lived in a few of places before settling in the Louisiana city, where he worked in a nearby eatery.
He was taken into custody on Thursday, the DOJ announced.
During a court appearance in Louisiana on the following day, he was asked if he understood the allegations facing him, an translator rendered his answer as "yes, but there are a lot of points stated here that are so false, I'm innocent", as reported by sources.
The documents do not accuse Mr al-Muhtadi of specific offenses or homicides. Federal prosecutors have in the past charged high-ranking individuals of Hamas with the deaths of US nationals on October 7.
