The Hamas leaders in the indictment are Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran on July 31, Marwan Issa, who Israel said it assassinated in March without confirmation from Hamas, Mohammed al-Masri, Khaled Meshaal, and Ali Baraka.
They were charged with seven counts, including “conspiracy to provide material support for terrorist acts resulting in death.”
Commenting on the indictment, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the six defendants “funded and led a decades-long campaign to kill American citizens and endanger the security of the United States.”
The indictment is the first criminal step taken by the Justice Department to hold accountable those responsible for the attack.
The announcement comes on the heels of the confirmation of the death of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg in Gaza, which prompted President Joe Biden and other senior US officials to pledge to hold Hamas leaders accountable.
“We will consider other appropriate actions,” a senior administration official told CNN, but declined to elaborate.
“Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes,” US President Joe Biden said last weekend in response to Goldberg Polin’s death.
#Among #Sinwar #Haniyeh. #America #brings #criminal #charges #Hamas #leaders
