A man who participated in the October 7 massacre—the most barbaric slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust—was found living quietly in Lafayette, Louisiana.

The US Department of Justice announced Thursday the arrest of Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi, 33, a Gaza native who allegedly took part in the Hamas-led invasion that left over 1,200 Israelis dead and dozens of Americans murdered or taken hostage.

“After hiding out in the United States, this monster has been found and charged,” said US Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Nothing can fully heal the scars of October 7… but this arrest marks a beginning.”

Al-Muhtadi, a member of the National Resistance Brigades—the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine—is accused of fraudulently obtaining a US visa, concealing his involvement with terrorist organizations and his direct participation in the Oct. 7 atrocities.

According to court documents, his phone connected to cell towers near Kibbutz Kfar Aza—one of the hardest-hit civilian communities during the invasion. At least four Americans were killed in that location alone. US officials say Al-Muhtadi was “armed,” “recruited marauders,” and personally crossed into Israel as the massacre unfolded.

Let the comparison land: This is the equivalent of discovering an Al Qaeda militant who stormed the Twin Towers living peacefully in an American suburb.

He entered the United States on September 12, 2024—less than a year after taking part in one of the most coordinated mass murders in modern Jewish history. The Justice Department confirmed that he lied on his visa application, omitting his affiliations with Hamas, the NRB, and the DFLP, as well as his paramilitary training and battlefield activity.

“This individual, who has blood on his hands, lied on his visa application,” said Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon. “I thank the US authorities for apprehending this terrorist and making the United States a safer place.”

The arrest was made possible through the coordinated work of the Joint Task Force Oct. 7, launched by the DOJ to track down perpetrators of the massacre. Israeli security services, the FBI’s field office in New Orleans, and local law enforcement in Louisiana played key roles.

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