A delegation of Louisiana Republicans is requesting more information on how an alleged Hamas terrorist recently charged with being involved in the terrorist group’s invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, entered the United States and took up residence in the state.
Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi, 33, a native of the Gaza Strip, was arrested on Oct. 16 for his alleged involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks.
In a letter sent on Tuesday to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Speaker Mike Johnson, Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, and Reps. Clay Higgins and Julia Letlow specifically urge the department to hold a briefing on how Al-Muhtadi came to reside in Lafayette, La., “after entering the United States in 2024 during the Biden administration’s dangerous open borders policy.”
“It is disgusting that Democrats’ failed open border policies allowed this to happen, putting our national security and the lives of Louisiana families at great risk,” Scalise said in a statement. “I’m grateful President Trump and the FBI are taking swift action to keep Americans safe from this terrorist.”
Citing public reporting and U.S. Department of Justice filings, the legislators stated that Al-Muhtadi entered the United States by “falsely concealing his affiliations on his visa application.”
The delegation also requested information “about any additional terrorist threats in our state” due to former President Joe Biden’s “dangerous and deadly immigration policies.”
