The FBI’s arrest of Mahmoud Amin Ya’Qub Al-Muhtadi in Lafayette, Louisiana, this past Thursday has sent shockwaves throughout the United States and beyond, marking the first time a suspect directly linked to the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel has been apprehended on American soil. According to multiple federal filings and statements from top officials, Al-Muhtadi’s journey from the battlefields of Gaza to the quiet neighborhoods of Louisiana is a chilling testament to the global reach of terror — and the painstaking efforts of law enforcement to bring perpetrators to justice.
Al-Muhtadi, 33, is accused of being a senior figure within the National Resistance Brigades (NRB), the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), a Gaza-based paramilitary group allied with Hamas. On that infamous day in October 2023, he allegedly played a pivotal role in the massacre at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where 60 people — including four Americans — were murdered and 19 others kidnapped. The attack, part of a broader Hamas offensive that left approximately 1,200 dead and 250 abducted (including 49 Americans killed and eight taken hostage), was described by U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi as “the single deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust,” according to The New York Times and Fox News.
Federal court documents allege that Al-Muhtadi sprang into action immediately after Hamas commander Mohammed Deif’s call to arms at 8:12 a.m. on October 7. In a series of phone calls, he coordinated with fellow militants, urging them to “bring the rifles,” ammunition, and magazines. “We are ready man. And if you want me to go east with you, I’m ready,” one recruit told Al-Muhtadi, to which he replied, “Get ready … The borders are open I swear.” Cell phone data placed him near Kfar Aza by 10:01 a.m., and he was overheard discussing the chaos and predicting a broader regional conflict: “There is lots of soldiers [Israel Defense Forces soldiers] that have been kidnapped … it’s a game, which will be a good one.” He chillingly added, “If things go the way they should, Syria will take part, Lebanon will take part … it’s going to be a third world war … it will be a war of attritions. That will be perfect.”
The violence that day was staggering. Among the murdered were a 38-year-old American woman and her photographer husband, a 67-year-old woman and her husband, and a 22-year-old American serving in the Israel Defense Forces who rushed to help the besieged kibbutz. The 38-year-old’s three-year-old daughter was taken hostage for 50 days, as detailed in the federal complaint. The broader attack by Hamas and allied militants killed 1,200 people, with Americans among both the dead and the hostages. The last living hostages were only recently returned to Israel as part of a cease-fire agreement brokered by former President Trump, with the remains of two slain hostages repatriated days later.
After the massacre, Al-Muhtadi’s path led him far from the Middle East. On June 26, 2024, he applied for a U.S. visa at the embassy in Cairo, Egypt, according to court filings. On his application, he denied any involvement in terrorism, military training, or affiliation with armed groups — assertions federal prosecutors now allege were outright lies. By September 12, 2024, Al-Muhtadi had entered the United States, settling first in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he claimed he intended to work in car repairs or food services. A few days after arriving, he messaged friends that he could no longer post about Hamas now that he was in America. Yet, by February 20, 2025, he was back on social media, flaunting a Glock 26 9mm handgun in photos, according to the complaint.
It wasn’t until June 2025 that the FBI, acting on intelligence and digital evidence, located Al-Muhtadi in Lafayette, Louisiana. The arrest was executed by the Joint Task Force October 7 (JTF 10-7), a special unit established by Attorney General Bondi in February 2025 to investigate and prosecute those involved in the October 7 attacks. The JTF 10-7 worked closely with the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Louisiana State Police, and Israeli authorities, including the Israeli Security Agency and Lahav 433.
Al-Muhtadi appeared in federal court on Friday morning, October 17, 2025, facing charges of visa fraud, misuse of documents, and providing — or attempting to provide — material support to a foreign terrorist organization, specifically Hamas. If convicted on the terrorism charge alone, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. He was ordered held without bail until a detention hearing scheduled for Wednesday, October 22.
Attorney General Bondi did not mince words in her reaction: “After hiding out in the United States, this monster has been found and charged with participating in the atrocities of October 7. While nothing can fully heal the scars left by Hamas’s brutal attack, this Department’s Joint Task Force October 7 is dedicated to finding and prosecuting those responsible for that horrific day, including the murder of dozens of American citizens.” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg echoed her sentiments, stating, “This arrest is the first public step in bringing to justice those responsible for harming Americans on that day.”
Retired FBI counterterrorism Special Agent Lara Burns, who spent eight years investigating Hamas and now leads terrorism research at George Washington University, told the New York Post she expects more arrests to follow. “I believe it’s only the first [arrest], of probably a few, that we will see like this,” she said. Burns emphasized the complexity of the investigation: “Investigators had to parse through a huge amount of evidence and digital data from an attack of that scope to bring the new charges against Al-Muhtadi.” She added, “It’s sending the message that no matter how long it takes, when the US government identifies perpetrators of the terrorist attack, justice will be served.”
The case against Al-Muhtadi is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Nickel and Zoe Bedell, alongside trial attorneys from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. The investigation has been a collaborative effort, with Israeli authorities providing key support and intelligence.
As the legal proceedings move forward, the arrest of Al-Muhtadi stands as a stark reminder of the far-reaching consequences of October 7 and the ongoing commitment by U.S. and Israeli authorities to bring all those responsible to justice. For families of the victims and survivors, the wheels of justice may turn slowly, but the message from law enforcement is clear: the pursuit will not end until every perpetrator is held accountable.
