(The Center Square) − Two Covington men have been charged with funneling more than $100,000 into an international fundraising network that federal prosecutors say secretly financed Hamas under the guise of humanitarian aid.
Abdel Adhami, 35, and Omar Adhami, 33, were arrested as part of a coordinated U.S. and French operation targeting an alleged Hamas financing network that raised more than $1.7 million from donors around the world, including in the United States.
Federal prosecutors allege Abdel Adhami contributed about $94,000 to the network between February 2021 and September 2026, while Omar Adhami contributed about $11,000. Prosecutors say the men knew the money was going to Hamas and attempted to conceal the payments through wire transfers and intermediaries.
Both men face charges in the Eastern District of Louisiana of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to provide material support, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each of those charges carries a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
The Louisiana arrests were one piece of a broader investigation spanning several states and France.
At the center of the alleged network is Saleem Alzaq, 45, a Gaza resident whom prosecutors identify as a Hamas member and deputy battalion leader in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing. Prosecutors say Alzaq began operating an international fundraising operation around January 2020, soliciting donations through social media campaigns presented as humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in Gaza.
The Justice Department alleges that more than $1.7 million collected through those campaigns was instead funneled to Hamas.
Three alleged associates of Alzaq were arrested by French authorities as part of the coordinated operation. Federal authorities also charged Raed Yousef, 56, of Lutz, Florida, who prosecutors say provided nearly $50,000 to the network.
U.S. Attorney David Courcelle, whose Eastern District of Louisiana office is handling the case against the Adhamis, said prosecutors allege the two men provided resources intended to support Hamas.
“The Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana are laser focused on the identification, prosecution, and eradication of terrorist networks, and the individuals who financially support these networks,” Courcelle said.
