The FBI has arrested a Hamas operative in Louisiana who participated in the October 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel.
The Bureau alleges that Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi took up arms and led a group from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel during the attack, according to The Washington Post.
According to an FBI criminal complaint unsealed this week, Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi armed himself and gathered a group to cross from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel during the attack that left more than 1,200 people dead.
Hamas fighters also kidnapped more than 250 people, including dozens of American citizens, during the raid. This week, Hamas released the 20 remaining living hostages after the two sides agreed to a tenuous ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.
Al-Muhtadi was an operative of the Gaza-based military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, according to the complaint prepared by FBI Supervisory Special Agent Alexandria M. Thoman O’Donnell and submitted to a federal judge on Oct. 6. O’Donnell serves on a task force investigating the murder and kidnapping of American citizens during the attack two years ago.
On his U.S. visa application, Al-Muhtadi denied he had ever been involved in terrorist activities, and became a legal permanent resident in 2024, the complaint says.
The complaint says the agent requested an arrest warrant for Al-Muhtadi on Oct. 6, but does not specify when and where he was taken into custody. The complaint says he could face charges for visa fraud and for conspiring to provide support for a foreign terrorist organization.
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🚨BREAKING — FBI just arrested an October 7th attacker in Louisiana.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 17, 2025
The 33-year-old man took part in the Hamas attack on Israel, & then traveled to the U.S. on a fraudulent visa UNDER JOE BIDEN.
This is why secure borders are absolutely crucial. pic.twitter.com/xnmoQav8ry
Al-Muhtadi’s social media and email accounts revealed that he had been affiliated with the terrorist group for years. He conducted firearms training for terrorists, the FBI said.
In phone calls on the morning of the October 7 attack, Al-Muhtadi allegedly told his comrades to “bring the rifles” and that “there is kidnapping, and it’s a game, which will be a good one.”
The suspect applied for a US visa in Cairo, Egypt, in June 2024 and denied involvement in a paramilitary organization or terrorist activity, The Post reported.
Justice will be served. Perhaps this is Louisiana Lockup’s newest resident? https://t.co/Lo6L9nPh4E
— Governor Jeff Landry (@LAGovJeffLandry) October 17, 2025
Hamas slaughtered over 1,000 Israelis and kidnapped about 250 hostages during the massacre.
Obviously, this development raises some serious concerns about national security. If the authorities managed to find this individual, how many others are out there? Was Al-Muhtadi simply trying to reside in the country, or was he part of a terror network?
With Hamas losing power in Gaza as part of the peace agreement that the Trump administration brokered, it is possible that the group might try to target Americans. There could be large numbers of terrorists who managed to make it into the country under the Biden administration. With Trump at the helm, the government is likely looking into more suspects that might have slipped by the authorities over the past four years. This will be another mess Biden made that Trump will have to address.
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