An alleged terrorist who oversaw the killing of 60 people during Hamas's October 7 massacre has been caught by the FBI - in the US.
Mahmoud Amin Ya’Qub Al-Muhtadi, 33, was arrested on Thursday in Lafayette, Louisiana.
He had been living in the Pelican State after lying on his visa forms about his attacks on Israelis, a criminal complaint said.
Filings detail that Mr Al-Muhtadi was part of a Hamas-linked communist terror group - and gleefully rallied other fighters to join him in crossing into southern Israel to slaughter the inhabitants of a small village.
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In total, 60 people were killed and 19 were kidnapped in what's now known as the Kfar Aza massacre, five Americans among them.
The 33-year-old answered the call to arms of then-Hamas chief Mohammed Deif at 8.12am on October 7, 2023.
Just two hours later, he was in Kfar Aza.
He had allegedly rallyied other terrorists to join him, with one recruit saying: "We are ready man. And if you want me to go east with you, I'm ready."
Mahmoud Amin Ya’Qub Al-Muhtadi (pictured) 33, was arrested on Thursday in Lafayette, Louisiana
|US DISTRICT COURT
"Get ready... The borders are open I swear," Mr Al-Muhtadi is said to have responded.
He urged others to "bring the rifles," as well as ammunition and magazines, court papers say.
In an 8.42am call with another man, he said: "There is lots of [Israeli] soldiers that have been kidnapped... it's a game, which will be a good one.
"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."
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In the war, Israel took out practically all of Lebanese terror group Hezbollah's leadership, while Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad was overthrown.
In June 2024, Mr Al-Muhtadi applied for a US visa from Egyptian capital Cairo.
On application forms, he falsely claimed he had not had military training, he was not part of a military group, he had never engaged in terrorism and was not a member of a terror group.
He also claimed he never murdered anyone.
After receiving his visa, he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, on September 12, 2024.
Mahmoud Amin Ya’Qub Al-Muhtadi (left) urged others to "bring the rifles," as well as ammunition and magazines
|US DISTRICT COURT
A few days later, he told his friends he could no longer share social media posts about Hamas now that he was living in the US, the complaint claims.
FBI agents first found him in Lafayette in June this year.
On Friday, Mr Al-Muhtadi appeared in a federal court in the city on one count of fraud and misuse of a visa, and one count of providing or attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist group.
He has not yet entered a plea.
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