By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
An Istanbul-based executive of a UK-registered international charity has been arrested in Britain after US prosecutors accused him of coordinating money and supplies with senior Hamas officials through humanitarian operations.
Mohammad Yousef Hasna, 45, was detained on July 31 and ordered to remain in custody pending extradition proceedings, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. He faces three federal charges covering material support for Hamas and terrorism financing. The allegations have not been tested in court, and Hasna is presumed innocent unless convicted.
The Justice Department described Hasna as a resident of Türkiye who is based mainly in Istanbul. It did not identify him as a Turkish citizen.
Court papers say he has served since October 2023 as global director of an international aid organization registered in the United Kingdom and referred to in the complaint as the "Sham Charity."
Investigators say Hasna used his position to raise funds and arrange deliveries of food, supplies and other resources for Hamas, which the United States designates as a foreign terrorist organization. The case centers on his alleged contacts with Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas's Political Bureau.
The complaint cites encrypted messages, voice notes, financial records and communications concerning shipments into Gaza. It says Hasna and Hamad discussed money transfers, the movement of goods through Egypt and the distribution of supplies through recipients selected by Hamas officials.
One exchange described in the filing concerns how photographs and videos of aid parcels should be produced without revealing the warehouses or organizations controlling their distribution. US investigators interpret the conversation as an attempt to conceal Hamas's role in directing the supplies.
The filing does not identify a verified total for money or goods allegedly delivered to Hamas. Revenue and expenditure figures included in the case describe the charity's overall operations, not an amount proven to have been diverted.
According to the complaint, Hasna served as director of the Gaza coordination office within the Humanitarian Affairs Department of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation from 2009 until May 2017. He joined the unnamed charity as a regional director in 2018 and became its global director five years later.
US authorities have not publicly named the charity. The Justice Department said British authorities and the Israel Security Agency assisted the investigation but gave no details on the evidence supplied by either side.
Hasna is charged with conspiracy to provide material support to Hamas, conspiracy to finance terrorism and terrorism financing. Each count carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years.
Sources: US Department of Justice, US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, federal criminal complaint, Bosphorus News review and reporting.