US Charges Hamas Leaders With Terrorism

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday announced criminal charges against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other senior militants in connection with the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

The DOJ’s seven-count criminal complaint was filed in federal court in New York City, and it includes charges of conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

“The Justice Department has charged Yahya Sinwar and other senior leaders of Hamas for financing, directing, and overseeing a decades-long campaign to murder American citizens and endanger the national security of the United States,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

Garland continued: “On October 7th, Hamas terrorists, led by these defendants, murdered nearly 1200 people, including over 40 Americans, and kidnapped hundreds of civilians. This weekend, we learned that Hamas murdered an additional six people they had kidnapped and held captive for nearly a year, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23 year old Israeli American.

“We are investigating Hersh’s murder, and each and every one of Hamas’ brutal murders of Americans, as an act of terrorism. The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations. These actions will not be our last.”

The charges are the first such effort by U.S. law enforcement to punish Hamas for the attack, though the move is seen as largely symbolic since Sinwar is said to be in hiding while two of the other defendants are believed to have been killed, including former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

In the announcement of the charges, the DOJ also accused Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah of giving assistance to Hamas for the October 7 attack.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press

This is a breaking story and will be updated as more information becomes available.