On Friday, October 2, 2026, the Justice Department announced the unsealing of an indictment against several individuals accused of paying, soliciting, and collecting funds for Hamas.
Saleem Alzaq was charged and, with the cooperation of law enforcement in France, three of his associates were arrested, including Omar Adhami, Abdel Adhami, and Raed Yousef.
Prosecutors allege Alzaq is a Hamas member and a battalion deputy in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and that he worked in a Hamas media office photographing events with leaders including Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar and posting propaganda, including material celebrating the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Since about January 2020, they allege, he ran an international fundraising network that collected more than $1.7 million through campaigns presented as humanitarian aid for Gaza, with the money funneled to Hamas. Associates in France helped move the funds.
Per the DOJ and according to the Alzaq indictment, the complaints against Adhami and the indictment against Yousef:
“Alzaq, 45, of Gaza, 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, he has photographed Hamas events, including events led by senior Hamas leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar. He distributes these photographs and descriptions of Hamas events to others involved in the Hamas propaganda apparatus. He has also 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 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 this fundraising through social media campaigns purportedly providing humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, while the money is funneled to 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, 35, and Omar Adhami, 33, both of Covington, Louisiana, 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, a resident of Lutz, Florida, provided almost $50,000 to Alzaq’s Hamas financing network.”
“Alzaq is charged with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and conspiring to defraud the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.”
“Omar Adhami is charged with providing material support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; conspiracy to provide material support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.”
“Abdel Adhami is charged with providing material support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; conspiracy to provide material support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.”
“Raed Yousef, 56, of Lutz, Florida, is charged with one count of conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; five counts of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count; one count of providing funds, goods, and services to a specially designated terrorist, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison; five counts of attempting to provide funds, goods, and services to a specially designated terrorist, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in person on each count; one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison; five counts of money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count; and one count of passport fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison.”
Attorney General Todd Blanche noted, “Anyone who finances or assists terrorist organizations responsible for the deaths of American citizens should expect to be prosecuted by the Department of Justice.”
“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.”
FBI Director Kash Patel added, “The FBI will never forget the horrific attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023 – and we will never stop our efforts to cut off funding to Hamas terrorists.”
“These subjects allegedly engaged in a conspiracy that extended beyond national borders to funnel money to Hamas and fuel violent attacks, using cryptocurrency to try to hide their criminal activity.”
“Today’s announcement shows the abilities of this FBI and our interagency partners to follow the money and shut down resources going to terrorists under the guise of charitable giving – disrupting over 4,000 Foreign Terrorist organizations and stopping 1,100 alleged terrorist actors here at home and around the world since last year. Special thanks to our FBI New York, New Orleans, and Tampa Field Offices, our Counterterrorism Division, as well as the Paris Legal Attaché’s Office and French authorities for their outstanding work with us in this case.”
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