A Gaza native, Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi, currently residing in Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S., has been arrested over his alleged role in the Hamas October 7, 2023, attack.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Mr Al-Muhtadi’s arrest and his being charged with participating in the bloody attack on Israel, in a statement on Friday.

According to court documents, Mr Al-Muhtadi is an operative for the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s military wing, the National Resistance Brigades, a Gaza-based paramilitary group that participated in the attack.

Mr Al-Muhtadi, 33, after allegedly participating in the terrorist attack that killed 1200 and saw 251 Israelis taken hostage, obtained a visa through fraudulent means and fled to the U.S.. Records show he entered the U.S. a year after the attack, on September 12, 2024.

Investigations show that “on the morning of October 7, 2023, Al-Muhtadi learned about the Hamas invasion, armed himself, gathered others, and crossed into Israel with the intention of assisting in Hamas’s terrorist attack. Al-Muhtadi’s phone utilized a cell tower located near Kibbutz Kfar Aza in Israel – the location of a horrifying massacre by Hamas and its supporters resulting in the deaths of many civilians, including at least four American citizens,” the DoJ said.

Further investigations also revealed that “Al-Muhtadi allegedly provided false information in his U.S. visa application relating to his involvement with a paramilitary organisation, connection to Hamas, participation in a terrorist attack, and military training.

Mr Al-Muhtadi “swore to the accuracy of numerous materially false statements in his visa application with respect to at least his affiliation with DFLP, the NRB, and Hamas, his training, and his involvement in the October 7, 2023, attacks.”

U.S. Attorney General, Pamela Bondi, said, “After hiding out in the United States, this monster has been found and charged with participating in the atrocities of October 7 — the single deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust.”

She added, “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.

Vowing America’s support for the Jews, Ms Bondi said, “We will continue to stand by Jewish Americans and Jewish people around the world against anti-Semitism and terrorism in all its forms.”