United States v. Alzaq

United States v. Alzaq is a federal criminal case prosecuted by the United States Department of Justice in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The indictment, unsealed on October 1, 2026, charges Saleem Alzaq, an alleged member of Hamas, with running a transnational terror-financing network that funneled over $1.7 million to the organization under the guise of fake humanitarian aid campaigns. The investigation, which involved a coordinated international effort by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and the French General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), led to concurrent federal indictments and arrests of co-conspirators across the United States and Europe.

Background

The primary defendant, Saleem Alzaq (also transliterated as Saleem Abdallah Saleem al-Zaq), is a 45-year-old Arab "Palestinian" resident of the Gaza Strip. According to U.S. federal prosecutors, Alzaq has been a member of terrorist Hamas since at least 2017, serving as a battalion deputy commander within the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Additionally, Alzaq worked within the media apparatus of the Shujaiyya Brigade, creating and distributing pro-Hamas propaganda online.

Beginning in January 2020, Alzaq allegedly established an international fundraising apparatus using social media platforms—predominantly Snapchat, Instagram, and Telegram—to solicit global financial contributions. The online campaigns targeted international donors by asserting that the proceeds would fund food, winter clothes, and general humanitarian assistance for impoverished families and orphans in Gaza. Following the genocidal 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel|October 7 attacks, Alzaq launched a localized campaign explicitly claiming to aid Gazans injured during the initial days of the conflict.

Fundraising Architecture and Operational Cover

Between early 2020 and late 2025, the network successfully gathered over $1.7 million, with some estimates citing total uncovered financing exceeding $2 million. At least $626,000 of the total sum originated from within the United States. To circumvent detection by financial institutions and automated system filters, Alzaq provided precise operational instructions to his network. Donors were directed to route money using digital payment networks like PayPal, Tether (USDT), and informal money service businesses.

Alzaq mandated that supporters strictly avoid using geopolitical triggers or phrases, such as "Free Palestine" or "Long Live Hamas", which could alert internal fraud detection and result in frozen financial accounts. Furthermore, wire transfers and conversations between co-conspirators utilized coded terminology. Network operatives referred to Hamas fighters and operational funding allocations as "bread" or "the bakeries."

Investigation and Sting Operation

The fundraising infrastructure began to fracture in November 2025 after Alzaq mistakenly initiated contact on Snapchat with an undercover NYPD counterterrorism detective operating under the alias "Hussain." Unaware of the detective's identity, Alzaq bragged that he had an extensive network of young American supporters based across New York and Ohio. During recorded conversations unsealed in the indictment, Alzaq verified to the undercover agent that he routinely accepted transfers and directly handed the money to "the Green" (a code term for Hamas).

He noted that obtaining paper receipts from physical Hamas operatives was impossible due to safety protocols and their refusal to use identifying credentials.

In December 2025, Alzaq directed the undercover detective to coordinate local U.S. currency transfers with his primary financial handler in Louisiana.

Indictments and Arrests

On October 1, 2026, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald unsealed the federal indictment against Alzaq. Because Alzaq remains located in Gaza, he has not been apprehended by U.S. law enforcement and is currently considered a fugitive. Parallel federal indictments and complaints unsealed during the same week dismantled his operational network within the United States and France.

United States Co-conspirators

Three United States citizens were arrested and charged across separate federal jurisdictions for their role as regional nodes feeding funds directly to Alzaq's PayPal accounts:

• Abdel Adhami (35) and Omar Adhami (33): Two brothers arrested in Covington, Louisiana.

Abdel Adhami allegedly used various Snapchat accounts to syndicate propaganda and manage local transfers, funneling approximately $83,000 to $94,000 to Alzaq between 2021 and 2026. His brother, Omar, was accused of wiring roughly $6,000 to $11,000. Both face charges of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy.

• Raed Yousef (56): A businessman arrested in Lutz, Florida. Yousef was charged in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida with wiring approximately $50,000 to the terror network. He faces charges including attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, money laundering, and passport fraud.

=== European Arrests and Sanctions === Simultaneously, a coordinated counterterrorism action executed by France's internal security agency (DGSI) resulted in the arrests of three Europe-based financial associates: Faouzi Barika, Amel Oualid, and Nordine Barika. On October 2, 2026, the United States Department of the Treasury placed Saleem Alzaq, his European associates, and their connected shell entities on the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list, effectively freezing all corresponding assets under U.S. jurisdiction.