Two Louisiana brothers charged with sending money to Hamas via Gaza fundraiser

Omar Adhami and Abdel Adhami, two Louisiana brothers in their 30s, face federal charges of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organisation (Hamas) and wire fraud. 1 2 JNS reports that the criminal complaints were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana on Sept. 11 and unsealed on Wednesday. Abdel Adhami, the older brother, also faces a money laundering charge. 1 According to the FBI affidavits, the brothers communicated with Saleem Alzaq, a Gaza-based fundraiser whose social media accounts promoted Hamas while soliciting donations presented as charitable aid. The New York Post calls Alzaq a member of the group. 1 2

Alzaq's complaint says his campaigns were advertised as humanitarian aid for Gaza but the money was used to support Hamas. Prosecutors say the operation has raised at least $1.7 million since 2020. Alzaq faces conspiracy charges including material support, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, money laundering and defrauding the United States. 2 The two outlets give different amounts for the brothers' alleged payments. JNS says investigators allege Abdel sent $81,272 through two PayPal accounts between November 2023 and February 2026 plus $2,000 by Western Union in October 2023, and that Omar sent about $2,900 in four Western Union transactions between July 2021 and April 2023. The New York Post says Abdel allegedly sent more than $83,000 from 2023 to 2026 and Omar $6,000. 1 2 Abdel Adhami allegedly told his brother to avoid naming the money's purpose on WhatsApp and to use the word "bread" instead. 1

The case began to unravel when Alzaq contacted an undercover NYPD employee in November 2025. The Post says this was a detective using the name "Hussain," reached by Snapchat, and that Alzaq directed the officer to Abdel the next month. JNS says Abdel offered to run a donation through his store's credit card system as if it were a purchase and then transfer the money. The Post says it is unclear whether the undercover detective actually transferred any money. 1 2 NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the department's intelligence analysts uncovered the international finance network and built the case, which she said exposed more than $2 million funnelled to Hamas. 2 Seamus Hughes, a terrorism researcher at the University of Nebraska Omaha, told JNS the case is one of a growing number of Hamas-related federal cases, that authorities appear to focus on alleged U.S. supporters who help fund Hamas, and that social media applications have lowered the bar to facilitating such support. 1