FBI says suspects used cryptocurrency to conceal transfers
The Justice Department on Friday said it had dismantled a transnational financial network that solicited and provided funds for Hamas, unsealing an indictment and announcing arrests in the United States and France. The case, filed in the Eastern District of Louisiana, involves the FBI, the NYPD and France’s General Directorate for Internal Security.
The indictment names Saleem Alzaq as the lead defendant and alleges he solicited financial donations on behalf of Hamas. “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,” U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle for the Eastern District of Louisiana said in a statement. Courcelle added: “Omar Adhami and Abdel Adhami are accused of providing Alzaq with resources intended to fund Hamas’ relentless reign of terror.”
According to the indictment, Omar Adhami contributed $11,000 and Abdel Adhami contributed as much as $94,000.
The department said U.S. authorities arrested Omar Adhami, Abdel Adhami and Raed Yousef. French law enforcement, working through the French General Directorate for Internal Security, arrested Faouzi Barika, Amel Oualid and Nordine Barika.
FBI Director Kash Patel tied the takedown to the bureau’s response to the October 2023 attack on Israel. “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,” Patel said in a statement. “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.”
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the finance network had funneled more than $2 million to Hamas.