US DOJ relying on anonymous Israeli intel agent to convict US resident of Oct 7 participation

The United States Department of Justice is prosecuting a Louisiana-based resident, Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub al-Muhtadi, over his alleged involvement in the October 7 attacks in Israel. Prosecutors claim that Muhtadi, a 33-year-old legal permanent resident, participated in the assault carried out by Hamas and other militant groups against Israeli civilians. The case hinges largely on intelligence provided by an unnamed Israeli intelligence agent whose identity remains concealed under Israeli law, preventing the defense from challenging the reliability of the evidence presented. Muhtadi is accused of being a member of the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a smaller Palestinian resistance group based in Gaza. Prosecutors allege that he organized others to take part in the October 7 attacks and later returned to Gaza before applying for a U.S. visa in June 2024. During his visit to Cairo in August 2024, he met with a consular official at the U.S. Embassy and subsequently entered the United States in September 2024. His visa application included false information regarding his ties to the DFLP, according to court records. Muhtadi was arrested in October 2025. Initially charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death and visa fraud, he has pleaded not guilty. His family has denounced the charges as fabricated and false. As of June 17, prosecutors revised some of their claims. A superseding indictment removed the phrase “resulting in death” from the original conspiracy charge. It also introduced a new charge of conspiracy to provide support to a terrorist organization and another charge related to making a false statement on his visa application. The majority of the evidence used by the U.S. government against Muhtadi originates from Israel. Court documents indicate that Israel alerted American authorities to Muhtadi's potential involvement in the October 7 attacks. An Israeli mobile service provider reportedly recorded Muhtadi’s phone activity, noting that his device pinged a tower near Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the settlements targeted during the attack. Israel is believed to have shared with the U.S. recordings of phone calls attributed to Muhtadi on the day of the incident. To authenticate these Israeli-provided materials, the DOJ has enlisted an Israeli agent to testify. However, due to Israeli law, this individual’s identity remains confidential, limiting the defense’s ability to scrutinize the credibility of the testimony. In court filings reviewed by journalist Ken Silva, the agent is referred to only as “Avi.” Described as a longtime employee of the Israeli security agency, the individual currently oversees the Assessment Division of the Israeli Bureau of Counter-Terror Financing. The profile of this anonymous Israeli agent bears striking similarities to that of Lt. Col. Avi Kalo, a former Israeli Security Agency officer. Kalo’s background includes providing legal assistance to the U.S. Department of Justice in the high-profile prosecution of senior Hamas figures during the Holy Land Foundation case. His contributions were conducted under anonymity, with the Israeli government implementing strict protective measures to shield his identity. Kalo’s public biography at Israel’s Reichman University reveals his role in supporting U.S. prosecutors in securing convictions against the leaders of a U.S.-registered charity linked to terrorism. During the Holy Land Foundation trials, the Israeli government maintained that the identity of “Avi” needed protection, restricting access to the courtroom to legal representatives, government officials, and select personnel. This precedent suggests that the current situation involving the anonymous Israeli agent in Muhtadi’s case could follow a similar pattern, raising concerns about transparency and due process in U.S. legal proceedings.