Coordinated Arrests And Charges Dismantle Hamas Terror Finance Network Raising Funds From The United States

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, Attorney General for the United States, Todd Blanche, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, David I. Courcelle, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, Gregory W. Kehoe, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), James C. Barnacle, Jr., and Commissioner of the New York City Police Department ("NYPD"), Jessica S. Tisch, announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging SALEEM ALZAQ, as well as the arrests of OMAR ADHAMI, ABDEL ADHAMI, and RAED YOUSEF, for their involvement in paying, soliciting and collecting funds for Hamas. In a coordinated law enforcement operation in France, three of ALZAQ's associates, FAOUZI BARIKA, AMEL OUALID, and NORDINE BARIKA, were arrested by the French General Directorate for Internal Security.

"This Office and our law enforcement partners will root out and prosecute those who finance Hamas, no matter where they are located," said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald. "As alleged, Saleem Alzaq was the center of a Hamas financing network that operated around the globe, soliciting more than a million dollars from individual donors including here in the United States. The close cooperation of law enforcement and prosecutors' offices to dismantle Alzaq's alleged Hamas financing network demonstrates our commitment to depriving Hamas of the funding it relies on in Gaza and to commit terror attacks like the brutal October 7, 2023, massacre of more than a thousand innocent victims, including dozens of Americans."

"Anyone who finances or assists terrorist organizations responsible for the deaths of American citizens should expect to be prosecuted by the Department of Justice," said Attorney General Todd Blanche. "For decades, members of Hamas have raised funding to carry out brutal terrorist attacks. Under the leadership of President Trump, the Department of Justice will continue pursuing terrorists who kill Americans, dismantling terrorist finance networks, and delivering justice for the families of victims."

"According to the indictment and complaint filed in the Eastern District of Louisiana, Saleem Alzaq solicited financial donations on behalf of Hamas, a terrorist organization responsible for the commission of heinous attacks worldwide," said U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle for the Eastern District of Louisiana. "Omar Adhami and Abdel Adhami are accused of providing Alzaq with resources intended to fund Hamas' relentless reign of terror. The Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana are laser focused on the identification, prosecution, and eradication of terrorist networks, and the individuals who financially support these networks."

"Providing financial assistance and support to terrorist organizations like Hamas place the safety and security of everyone, anywhere in the world, at risk," said U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Gregory W. Kehoe. "The diligence and cooperation exhibited by our domestic and international law enforcement partners during this investigation demonstrates our collective resolve to relentlessly pursue, disrupt, and prosecute those who engage in these illegal activities."

"Saleem Alzaq allegedly raised funds for Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization, under the guise of collecting humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza," said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. "The FBI and our partners will stop at nothing to dismantle the funding networks of terrorist organizations."

"The NYPD's counterterrorism work knows no borders," said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. "Our intelligence analysts uncovered this international finance network and built the case that exposed more than $2 million being funneled to Hamas. Saleem Alzaq, a leader in Hamas' military arm responsible for planning and carrying out terrorist attacks, and the other defendants allegedly solicited donations under the guise of humanitarian aid and then directed that money to Hamas. This is the kind of extraordinary counterterrorism work the NYPD does every day to disrupt threats before they reach New Yorkers, and I thank our law enforcement partners for helping us dismantle this network."

According to the Alzaq Indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York, the Adhami Complaints filed in the Eastern District of Louisiana, and the Yousef Indictment filed in the Middle District of Florida:(1)

ALZAQ is a Hamas member in the Gaza Strip and a battalion deputy in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (the "Al-Qassam Brigades"), Hamas's armed wing responsible for planning and executing terrorist attacks. ALZAQ serves in the Photography Department of the Al-Qassam Brigades' Shujaiyya Brigade Media Office, a Hamas propaganda office. In this role, ALZAQ has photographed Hamas events, including events led by senior Hamas leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar. ALZAQ distributes these photographs and descriptions of Hamas events to others involved in the Hamas propaganda apparatus. ALZAQ also has posted Hamas propaganda across multiple social media platforms, including posts glorifying deceased leaders of Hamas (such as Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Haniyeh, and Sinwar); supporting Al-Qassam Brigades terrorists and glorifying Al-Qassam Brigades "martyrs;" and promoting and celebrating Hamas's October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks against Southern Israel, in which more than 1,200 victims were murdered and more than 250 were taken hostage, including 46 American citizens.

Since at least in or about January 2020, ALZAQ has operated an international Hamas fundraising network that collects donations from individuals around the world, including from individuals in the United States. ALZAQ promotes his Hamas fundraising through social media campaigns as purportedly providing humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, but in fact raises funds for Hamas. Since January 2020, ALZAQ has collected more than $1.7 million through purported charitable campaigns. ALZAQ's associates in France, BARIKA, AMEL OUALID, and others assisted ALZAQ in collecting and transferring money raised for Hamas.

ABDEL ADHAMI and OMAR ADHAMI donated funds to ALZAQ's Hamas financing network. Beginning in approximately February 2021, and continuing through approximately September 2026, Abdel Adhami allegedly contributed approximately $94,000 and Omar Adhami allegedly contributed approximately $11,000 to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, knowing that the organization engaged in terrorist activities, and attempted to conceal their contributions to Hamas through wire transfers, and the use of intermediaries.

YOUSEF provided almost $50,000 to ALZAQ's Hamas financing network.

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ALZAQ, 45, of Gaza, is charged with (i) one count of conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; (ii) one count of conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; (iii) one count of conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and (iv) one count of conspiring to defraud the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

OMAR ADHAMI, 33, of Covington, Louisiana, is charged with (i) one count of providing material support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (ii) one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (iii) one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (iv) one count of and conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

ABDEL ADHAMI, 35, of Covington, Louisiana, is charged with (i) one count of providing material support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (ii) one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (iii) one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and (iv) one count of conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

YOUSEF, 56, of Lutz, Florida, is charged with (i) one count of conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; (ii) five counts of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; (iii) one count of providing funds, goods, and services to a specially designated terrorist, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; (iv) five counts of attempting to provide funds, goods, and services to a specially designated terrorist, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; (v) one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; (vi) five counts of money laundering, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and (vii) one count of passport fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

Mr. McDonald praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI's New York Joint Terrorism Task Force and the NYPD Intelligence Division. Mr. McDonald also thanked the Counterterrorism Section and the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Department of Justice's National Security Division for their assistance with this investigation, the FBI's New Orleans and Tampa Field Offices, and the French General Directorate for Internal Security and National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office.

The ALZAQ case is being handled by the Illicit Finance & Money Laundering Unit and National Security and International Narcotics Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Markewitz, Ben Arad, Sarah L. Kushner, Juliana N. Murray, and Keith Savino are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance provided by Trial Attorney Rob MacDonald of the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section.

The ADHAMI case is being investigated by the FBI New Orleans Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Kennedy for the Eastern District of Louisiana is prosecuting the case.

The YOUSEF case is being handled by the National Security and International Narcotics Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Schmidt and Michael Buchanan are prosecuting the case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.

The charges contained in the Indictments and Complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

1. ^

   As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the charging documents and the description of the charging documents set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described therein should be treated as an allegation.