A global network that fund raised for Hamas by allegedly diverting financial donations intended as humanitarian aid for Gaza has been closed down by a series of arrests.
The fund-raising operation for the militant group was controlled by Saleem Alzaq, 45, a senior Hamas propaganda official, according to prosecutors.
US authorities claim that Mr Alzaq's network raised $2 million for Hamas, of which $1.5 million was received after the 2023 October 7 attack on Israel.
Arrests have included founders of two charities based in France, who are alleged to have worked with Mr Alzaq.
One of the charities, Association Baraka, was set up by Faouzi Barika, a 35-year-old Algerian, just days after October 7 to allegedly act as the vehicle to raise funds for Hamas. The charity has been closed down following the swoop by France's security service, the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI).
Two weeks after the US notices, the charity website was still operating an apparent link to an international payment system. PayPal told The National it was not processing payments for either the individual or the organisation. Days later the website closed.
Mr Alzaq, Mr Barika and Association Baraka have been placed under sanctions by the US under the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) designation.
Code words
Mr Alzaq has been charged for his alleged role in the social media fund-raising under the guise of aid for Gaza. If convicted, he faces a 20-year prison sentence in the US, although he is currently in Gaza.
The indictment filed against Mr Alzaq in a New York court states that he and his “co-conspirators have solicited donations from around the world” which were “purportedly to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza”.
Mr Alzaq's activities allowed Hamas to “exploit the sympathy and generosity of the international public at the expense of the Palestinian people”, it adds.
In a conversation with an undercover US law enforcement officer, Mr Alzaq is alleged to have used coded language for his activities.
Hamas was referred to as “the Green”, and he boasted that he could deliver monthly donations to “them” using terms such as “buy bread” or “give it to the bakeries”.
US arrests
Three men have been arrested in the US for allegedly donating funds to Hamas through the financing network. Abdel Adhami, 35, and Omar Adhami, 33, from Louisiana, and Raed Yousef, 56, from Florida, were arrested for allegedly donating a total of $155,000.
The Adhamis and Mr Yousef face a number of charges, including providing material support to a foreign terrorist organisation. They face 20 years in prison if convicted.
Mr Alzaq's alleged fund-raising activity fits into a pattern in which Hamas has benefited from organisations purporting to be charities, the US authorities say.
French network
Included in the French round of arrests and accused of being part of Mr Alzaq's financing network is Amel Oualid, 39. She was also arrested by the DGSI.
The Algerian citizen and her charity, Ensemble C Mieux, have also been sanctioned under an SDGT designation for allegedly raising money for Hamas.
Mr Barika and Ms Oualid are also accused of sending hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency to Mr Alzaq.
The “investigations and arrests spanned multiple jurisdictions in the United States and across international borders”, said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A Eisenberg.
“Money is the lifeblood of terrorist organisations, and the arrests disrupted a global financing network that was supplying Hamas with the funds needed to continue its campaign of destroying innocent lives,” he added.
The US Department of Justice describes Mr Alzaq as being a battalion deputy in the Al Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing. He serves in the photography department of its media office, a Hamas propaganda operation.
In this role, he has photographed Hamas events, including those led by senior leaders such as the late Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar.