US Indicts 6 Hamas Leaders on Sanctions Evasion, Other Charges
The U.S. on Sept. 3 unsealed charges of terrorism, murder conspiracy and sanctions evasion against six Hamas leaders for their role in planning the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel, DOJ announced. The six people -- Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammad al-Masri, Marwan Issa, Khaled Meshaal and Ali Baraka -- and their co-conspirators allegedly "control all aspects of the terrorist organization, including its political and military branches," DOJ said.
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Sinwar is the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and a founder of the al-Qassam Brigades. Haniyeh led Hamas' political wing from 2017 until his death July 31, and al-Masri was the commander in chief of the al-Qassam Brigades until his death, which was reported to be "on or about July 13." Issa was the deputy commander of the al-Qassam Brigades until his death in March. Meshaal was the head of Hamas' political wing 2004-17 and now leads Hamas' diaspora office. Baraka is based in Lebanon and leads the National Relations Abroad wing of the party.
DOJ unsealed a host of charges against the six leaders, including conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which comes with a maximum 20-year prison sentence. The U.S. alleged that they caused American parties to "engage in transactions and dealings in property" of individuals and entities, including Hamas, that are barred under the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations.
They allegedly "solicited and received funding to promote Hamas's terrorist activities through a variety of illicit means, including cryptocurrency payments, advertising the ostensible anonymity of such transactions," the complaint said. Since 2019, the al-Qassam Brigades have called for various cryptocurrency donations through their social media page and online posts.