DOJ Alleges Crypto Transfers in Hamas Fundraising Case as Treasury Imposes Sanctions

U.S. prosecutors announced charges and arrests on October 2, 2026, in an alleged international Hamas fundraising network, describing a payment route that they say included Bitcoin and other digital currencies. Treasury announced a separate sanctions action the same day. The records establish those official actions; they do not establish the defendants’ guilt or independently verify the alleged cryptocurrency transfers.

The financial distinction matters: prosecutors describe at least $1.7 million raised through purported charitable campaigns, while Treasury gives a separate total exceeding $2 million. Neither amount is a verified measure of cryptocurrency volume. The criminal allegations remain unproven, and the defendants are presumed innocent.

What DOJ announced

In its October 2 announcement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said it unsealed an indictment charging Saleem Alzaq. It also announced the U.S. arrests of Omar Adhami, Abdel Adhami and Raed Yousef through separate complaints. The release does not say Alzaq was arrested.

DOJ also reported that French authorities arrested Faouzi Barika, Amel Oualid and Nordine Barika. That account is attributed to DOJ: the research underlying this report did not independently confirm the arrests through a French government source.

Prosecutors allege that Alzaq’s network collected more than $1.7 million since about January 2020, including money from U.S. donors. DOJ separately alleges contributions of about $94,000 from Abdel Adhami, about $11,000 from Omar Adhami and almost $50,000 from Yousef. Those donor amounts do not establish that the contributions were made in cryptocurrency.

The alleged cryptocurrency route

The redacted Alzaq indictment alleges that in December 2021 he asked a cooperating witness to send collected funds in Bitcoin or another digital currency instead of Western Union. Prosecutors allege that he described the route as obscuring how, by whom and where the money was sent.

That is an alleged statement attributed to Alzaq, not a technical finding that Bitcoin transactions are untraceable. The indictment also alleges that an exchange questioned the source of funds in May 2023, after which the witness used another exchange. The reported inquiry cuts against a blanket conclusion that the payment route escaped scrutiny.

Separately, Treasury’s October 2 announcement says two France-based fundraisers sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency to Alzaq. That description supplies an approximate scale, not a precise crypto subtotal or independent transaction-level confirmation. The reviewed DOJ passages provide no crypto-only subtotal.

Sanctions carry a different scope

The OFAC action record lists three individuals—Alzaq, Faouzi Barika and Oualid—and two entities, Association Baraka and Ensemble C Mieux, as additions to the Specially Designated Nationals list. Nordine Barika is not listed among those additions. The people DOJ says were arrested in France therefore should not all be described as sanctioned in this action.

Treasury says three named people collected more than $2 million during 2020–2026, including $1.5 million after October 7, 2023. Its stated group and period differ from the scope of DOJ’s $1.7 million allegation. The reviewed records do not reconcile the figures, so adding them would produce an unsupported total. Treating either as cryptocurrency volume would also overstate the evidence.

For U.S. persons, the sanctions have a direct financial consequence. Treasury says designated persons’ property within U.S. jurisdiction or controlled by U.S. persons is blocked, and transactions involving that property are generally prohibited without authorization or an exemption. Those restrictions are separate from the criminal cases. Administrative sanctions designations are not criminal convictions.

What remains to be established

This report uses the supplied research as of October 3, 2026, at 18:52 KST, or 09:52 UTC. The official announcements are dated October 2 but do not display publication times. No defense or charity response was located in the official records reviewed; that does not establish that no response exists elsewhere.

The next court filings, hearings or rulings may clarify the allegations and defendants’ positions. A plea, dismissal, new arrest or DOJ correction would also warrant an update. On the sanctions track, readers should watch for OFAC amendments or licenses. Evidence quantifying the cryptocurrency portion, an authoritative reconciliation of the fundraising totals, and French primary-source confirmation of arrest status remain specific gaps to resolve.