Federal authorities announced an indictment Friday against a Florida man accused of providing nearly $50,000 to a Hamas financing network that prosecutors said solicited donations under the guise of helping civilians in Gaza, adding to an almost $1.7 million total terrorism fundraising effort, the Justice Department alleged.
Raed Yousef, a 56-year-old man living outside of Tampa, along with two Louisiana men, were arrested on charges of helping finance Hamas, according to the DOJ announcement. French authorities also arrested three associates accused of helping the same network collect and transfer money through purported charitable campaigns.
Officials said the fundraising appeals promised donors the funds raised would support humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza, but the money actually went to Hamas. Yousef stands accused of providing almost $50,000 to Alzaq’s Hamas financing network, the DOJ alleged in its press release.
The arrests come nearly three years after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel and coincide with a related move by the Treasury Department to impose sanctions against the alleged organizer, two fundraisers in France, and two affiliated organizations. The Treasury Department said the operation collected more than $2 million for Hamas between 2020 and 2026, including $1.5 million after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
“Terrorist organizations like Hamas rely on sophisticated financial facilitators and fraudulent schemes designed to exploit the public to sustain their operations,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
Prosecutors accused Yousef, who was born in Kuwait and raised in Jordan, of providing nearly $50,000 to a fundraising network run by Saleem Alzaq, 45, of Gaza, whom they identified as a battalion deputy in Hamas’s military wing and who is still at large.
Alzaq promoted social media campaigns that purported to provide humanitarian assistance to Gazans while directing the proceeds to Hamas, according to the DOJ. Prosecutors said he collected more than $1.7 million through those campaigns.
The Treasury Department identified two people in France, Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid, as key partners who ran purported charities and transferred donations to Alzaq. Officials said the pair sent him hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency.
Barika jointly established Association Baraka with Alzaq, while Oualid established Ensemble C Mieux, according to the Treasury Department. The department accused both organizations of raising money under the pretense of aiding civilians in Gaza while supplying funds to Hamas.
French authorities arrested Barika, Oualid, and a third associate, Nordine Barika, as part of the coordinated operation, according to the DOJ.
Other messages obtained by authorities showed Yousef allegedly calling for violence against Jews. He said beheadings should be broadcast on social media “so they can be frightened.”
In April 2024, he allegedly said, “Jews are brutal. … May God take revenge against them.”
Yousef faces 19 counts involving alleged support for terrorism, prohibited financial transactions, money laundering, and passport fraud. Most counts carry maximum prison terms of 20 years each, according to the DOJ.
Two other defendants, Abdel Adhami, 35, and Omar Adhami, 33, both of Covington, Louisiana, were accused of contributing about $94,000 and $11,000, respectively, to Hamas between February 2021 and last month.
Prosecutors alleged that the men knew the organization engaged in terrorist activities and sought to conceal their contributions through wire transfers and intermediaries. Both face charges involving material support for a foreign terrorist organization, wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy.
Alzaq was charged in New York with conspiracies involving material support for Hamas, sanctions violations, money laundering, and defrauding the United States. The DOJ announced the unsealing of his indictment but did not announce his arrest.
“Anyone who finances or assists terrorist organizations responsible for the deaths of American citizens should expect to be prosecuted by the Department of Justice,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
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The Treasury Department sanctions block property belonging to the designated people and organizations within U.S. jurisdiction and generally prohibit U.S. citizens and businesses from conducting transactions with them.
When Yousef was initially charged early this week, his lawyers argued that he believed his fundraising was for charity and that he had “provided a minuscule amount of money to someone he should not have,” according to the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.