Turkey-Based Sham Charity Leader Arrested for Supporting Hamas
(New York = Alex Walczak) Mohammad Yousef Hasna, a global director of a Turkey-based sham charity, was arrested in the UK for conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, U.S. authorities announced on July 31. Hasna allegedly funneled millions in funds and supplies to Hamas leadership in Gaza under the guise of humanitarian aid.
The U.S. Department of Justice revealed that Mohammad Yousef Hasna, 45, also known by the aliases Orhan Korkmaz and Abu al-Baraa, coordinated directly with senior Hamas officials to deliver cash and goods to Gaza. Acting as the global director of a UK-registered international charity, Hasna played a key role in distributing resources at Hamas’s direction. The charity, described as a sham, masked its true purpose of financing Hamas’s terrorist activities.
John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, emphasized that funds from such fake charities fuel Hamas’s terror operations, including the brutal October 7, 2023 attacks that killed over 1,000 people. “Hamas cannot operate without illicit financial networks,” Eisenberg said, pledging continued efforts to disrupt these channels.
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald of the Southern District of New York condemned Hasna’s abuse of his humanitarian role to support a terrorist group responsible for killing dozens of Americans and thousands of others. McDonald highlighted the arrest as a clear message against Hamas’s global funding networks and the sham charities that enable them.
FBI Assistant Director Jarod Brown noted Hasna’s close collaboration with Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas leader and Gaza’s Minister of Social Development. Brown stated Hasna knowingly supplied Hamas rather than needy civilians and reaffirmed the FBI’s commitment to cutting off terrorist funding worldwide.
According to court documents, since 2023 Hasna worked with Hamad to supply Hamas-controlled areas in Gaza with cash, goods, and logistical support. This included managing cash deliveries, procuring and transporting supplies from Egypt, overseeing warehouses, and distributing materials to Hamas-designated recipients. Investigators found evidence of falsified reports and manipulated photos to conceal the true destination of the aid.
Hamas, founded in 1987 and designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. since 1997, aims to eliminate Israel and establish an Islamic Palestinian state. The group has a long history of attacks against U.S. citizens and others. The October 7, 2023 assault involved over 2,000 militants killing more than 1,000 people and kidnapping 251 hostages in southern Israel.
The sham charity’s reported revenue nearly doubled from $41.8 million in fiscal year 2023 to $81.56 million in 2024, with $91 million spent on charitable activities by July 2025. However, a significant portion of these funds was funneled to Hamas.
Hasna faces three charges: conspiracy to provide material support to Hamas, conspiracy to finance terrorism, and providing material support to terrorism. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The case is being prosecuted by the Southern District of New York’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit, with cooperation from the U.S. Department of Justice, UK authorities, and Israeli security agencies.
The Department of Justice stressed that the charges are allegations and Hasna is presumed innocent until proven guilty. This case underscores the critical role of international cooperation in disrupting terrorist financing networks worldwide.
