DOJ Unseals Hamas Terror-Finance Indictment: One Charged, Three Arrested in Fundraising Case
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 — The Justice Department on Oct. 2 announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Saleem Alzaq, and the arrests of Omar Adhami, Abdel Adhami and Raed Yousef, for their involvement in paying, soliciting and collecting funds for Hamas, according to the department's announcement. The department described the case as dismantling a terror-finance network raising funds from within the United States.
The allegation is that the defendants raised, collected and moved funds for Hamas, which the United States designates as a foreign terrorist organization. Amounts, money paths and each defendant's role are as set out in the unsealed indictment and subsequent court filings. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court; initial appearances and detention hearings are scheduled by the receiving court.
Providing 'material support' to a designated foreign terrorist organization is a serious federal offense, and fundraising and money transmission are among the conduct types the statute expressly covers. The department has brought a series of similar cases against U.S.-based fundraising networks for Hamas and other designated groups, with enforcement attention on cryptocurrency channels and funds moved under charitable cover.
On procedure: after an indictment in a terror-finance case is unsealed, the case typically proceeds through arraignment, discovery and pretrial motions, with trial dates set by the court. Until a verdict, the conduct described in reporting should be read as prosecution allegation. GSM's Justice channel applies this standard to all pending cases and presumes no defendant's guilt.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice announcement, Oct. 2, as carried in the United Police Association's law-enforcement digest.
Photo: Department of Justice Building, Washington, D.C. — Ken Lund / CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Department of Justice Building, Washington, D.C. — Ken Lund / CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse)
