LA Resident Charged of Assisting Militant Group in October 7 Attack on Israel, American Authorities Say
US federal attorneys have accused a LA inhabitant of taking part in the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israeli soil, as per newly unsealed court papers.
Mahmoud Amin Ya'qub al-Muhtadi, thirty-three, reportedly equipped himself and became part of a paramilitary group that fought together with Hamas in the 2023's incursion that killed over a thousand Israelis, triggering 24 months of fighting that resulted in the deaths of thousands more.
Twelve months after the attack, he allegedly travelled to the US on a fake entry permit and obtained status as a permanent resident.
The accused was indicted with providing, attempting to furnish or conspiring to deliver assistance to a foreign terrorist organization and the fraud and improper use of a visa or other documents.
Reported Role with Militant Faction
The defendant was reportedly an member of the National Resistance Brigades, the armed branch of the DFLP, according to the complaint filed by the FBI.
He is accused of coordinating a "unit of armed fighters" to cross into Israeli territory after hearing about the attack and requested one individual to "carry the firearms", legal documents indicate.
The suspect dispatched messages instructing other persons to bring a bulletproof vest for a different individual and rounds, prosecutors claim.
Hours after the 7 October assault started, his phone pinged a cell tower close to the kibbutz, the sight of a deadly event, the records said.
Judicial Process and Defense
The legal document indicated that Mr al-Muhtadi denied ever having been engaged in terrorist activities on his US immigration form.
After arriving to the United States, he lived in a handful of places before landing in the Louisiana city, where he worked in a nearby restaurant.
He was arrested on Thursday, the Justice Department said.
During a court appearance in LA on the following day, he was asked if he comprehended the charges against him, an interpreter translated his answer as "yes, but there are a lot of points stated here that are so incorrect, I am not guilty", as reported by reports.
The documents do not accuse the defendant of particular offenses or killings. US prosecutors have previously charged high-ranking individuals of the group with the deaths of American citizens on October 7.
