Alleged Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine member, October 7 attack participant arrested in Louisiana

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday that it had arrested 33-year-old Mahmoud Amin Yaqub al Muhtadi in Louisiana. The DOJ alleged that Muhtadi was a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s (DFLP) so-called armed wing and had participated in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack in southern Israel.

The DOJ stated that Muhtadi was a member of the DFLP’s “Martyr Omar al Qassem Brigades,” a small but well-established terrorist organization aligned with Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups. The criminal complaint filed in the Western District of Louisiana included evidence from Mahmoud’s social media accounts demonstrating that he participated in DFLP activities.

The complaint states that on October 7, when Muhtadi learned that Hamas and its allies had launched an attack on southern Israel, he armed himself, recruited other Palestinians to join him, and infiltrated Israeli territory from one of the many breaches at the Gaza-Israel border. The complaint asserts that evidence collected against Muhtadi showed that his mobile phone had connected to an Israeli cell tower near Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where Hamas and its allies killed civilians, including four Americans.

The DOJ further alleges that following the October 7 attack, Muhtadi fraudulently obtained a visa in Egypt and was approved to enter the United States. According to records from US Customs and Border Protection, he entered American territory on September 4, 2024.

On October 20, the Muhtadi family issued a statement condemning what they described as a smear campaign against Mahmoud, who they stated had no political or party involvement before leaving Gaza. The Muhtadi family’s statement emphasized that he departed legally during the war with full coordination from the US Embassy in Cairo, obtained an official US visa, later joined relatives who are American citizens, and began a lawful professional life in the United States. The family called on US human rights groups, media, and the public to oppose discrimination and support Mahmoud’s right to remain with his family and maintain his legal residency.

A review of Mahmoud Muhtadi’s online footprint by FDD’s Long War Journal found additional information on his past vocation in Gaza and some potential links to the DFLP. Muhtadi’s formerly public Facebook profile (now set to private) showed two DFLP-related posts in which another Facebook user tagged (notified) Muhtadi’s account. One of the tagged posts mourns the death of an operative who belonged to the DFLP.

In February 2023, Muhtadi appeared on a radio program called The Youth Radio, where he joined a panel to discuss a range of issues affecting young Palestinians. The host of the program introduced Muhtadi (in a grey jacket) and another guest as the owners of Saltaa Burger, a food stand in Gaza themed after the popular animated TV series SpongeBob SquarePants. Footage published by local Palestinian media on February 15, 2023, showed Muhtadi preparing food during an interview.

The DOJ has released significant evidence against Muhtadi, but some questions about his ties to the DFLP and travel remain unanswered. For example, it is unclear how he traveled to Egypt when significant restrictions were imposed on individuals exiting the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing following the start of the war between Hamas and Israel. People attempting to leave Gaza had to pay a fee that reportedly cost approximately $5,000 per adult and $2,500 per child. Furthermore, it is unknown whether Muhtadi continued to engage in activities in the United States on behalf of the DFLP.

The DFLP was listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US in 1997 for a brief period but was delisted two years later. However, the group is designated by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity.  

Muhtadi is currently the only individual who has been arrested in the US on charges of terrorism in connection with the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Joe Truzman is an editor and senior research analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal focused primarily on Palestinian armed groups and non-state actors in the Middle East.