A three-count federal complaint unsealed in New York charges a Turkey-based charity director with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas and related terrorism financing offenses. The defendant, identified as Mohammad Yousef Hasna, also known as “Orhan Korkmaz” and “Abu al-Baraa,” 45, of Istanbul, was arrested in the United Kingdom, according to officials.
Prosecutors allege that the Turkey-based charity director used his senior position at a purported global humanitarian organization registered in the UK to coordinate directly with senior Hamas figures on the delivery of money and supplies into Gaza, and to distribute those resources according to instructions from Hamas leadership.
“The money that flows from sham charities like the one described in the complaint fuels Hamas’s terrorist activities,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said, adding that disrupting illicit financial networks is a priority for the National Security Division.
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York said Hasna is alleged to have raised and routed funds, supplies, and other materials to Hamas under the guise of humanitarian aid, working closely with the group’s senior leadership.
Assistant Director Jarod Brown of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division said the complaint alleges the defendant coordinated his actions with a senior Hamas leader and knew resources were going to the group rather than civilians.
Alleged coordination with Hamas leadership
Court filings state Hasna served as global director of the UK-registered organization, described by prosecutors as a sham charity. He allegedly provided financing and commodities to Hamas by working extensively with senior operatives, including Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas’s Politburo and the Minister for the Ministry of Social Development in Gaza, which officials describe as controlled by Hamas.
Authorities note that Hamas, founded in 1987, has been designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization since 1997. Prosecutors reference the October 7, 2023 attacks in southern Israel, which killed more than 1,000 people and resulted in the kidnapping of 251 hostages.
Rising revenues and alleged aid scheme
According to disclosures cited by prosecutors, the organization’s reported gross income to UK authorities nearly doubled after October 7, from about 41.8 million dollars in fiscal year 2023 to approximately 81.56 million dollars in fiscal year 2024. It reported spending about 91 million dollars on charitable activities in the fiscal year ending July 31, 2025.
Since at least 2023, Hasna and Hamad allegedly coordinated deliveries of purported humanitarian assistance arranged by or allocated to the organization into Gaza for Hamas’s benefit. Prosecutors say Hasna arranged cash deliveries to Hamad, procured supplies for import, transported shipments by truck from Egypt and other locations, delivered items to warehouses controlled by the organization or by the Ministry of Social Development at Hamad’s direction, and distributed goods to recipient lists identified by Hamad.
The complaint alleges the pair concealed the actual destinations of supplies by, among other steps, misrepresenting deliveries as going to the Ministry of Social Development when they were sent to warehouses controlled by Hasna, redirecting items after initial delivery, and capturing photos and videos that avoided signage revealing warehouse locations or control.
Charges and next steps in terrorism financing case
Hasna is charged with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, conspiring to finance terrorism, and financing terrorism. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, similar in potential exposure to other recent federal national security prosecutions.
A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutory factors. Officials credited U.K. authorities, the Israeli Security Agency, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, and U.K. law enforcement for assistance in the investigation.
The case is being handled by the Southern District of New York’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah L. Kushner, Michael D. Lockard, and Juliana N. Murray leading the prosecution, assisted by Alicia Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. Additional case information is expected to be released through the Federal Bureau of Investigation and related court filings.