A Turkey-based global director of a purported international charity has been arrested in the United Kingdom and charged in the United States with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, the designated foreign terrorist organisation. Mohammad Yousef Hasna, also known as Orhan Korkmaz and Abu al-Baraa, a 45-year-old resident of Istanbul, faces a three-count complaint unsealed on Friday, 31 July 2026, by the US Department of Justice.
He has been held in the UK pending extradition proceedings for his transfer to New York. Charges lodged against Hasna include conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, conspiring to finance terrorism and financing terrorism. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
According to the allegations, Hasna used his senior position at a UK-registered purported global humanitarian organisation, referred to in court papers as the Sham Charity, to coordinate the delivery of funds and supplies to Gaza in close consultation with senior Hamas leadership. He is accused of working directly with Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas’s Politburo and Minister for the Ministry of Social Development in Gaza, an agency controlled by the group. The complaint states that Hasna arranged cash deliveries, procured supplies for import into Gaza, organised truck transport from Egypt and elsewhere, directed consignments to warehouses under his or Hamas control, and distributed materials according to lists provided by Hamad, all while presenting the activity as legitimate humanitarian aid.
CASE UPDATE from @NewYorkFBI: Turkey-Based Global Director of Sham Charity Arrested and Charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Hamas
— FBI (@FBI) July 31, 2026
Mohammad Yousef Hasna was arrested in the United Kingdom and charged with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, a… pic.twitter.com/cFqHEOk8Ps
US officials allege that the scheme involved deliberate concealment, including misrepresentations about delivery locations, redistribution of goods after arrival at Ministry warehouses, and the taking of photographs and videos that omitted identifying signage. The Sham Charity’s reported gross income nearly doubled from approximately 41.8 million US dollars in the fiscal year 2023 to 81.56 million dollars in 2024, with around 91 million dollars claimed to have been spent on charitable activities in the year ending 31 July 2025.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said the money flowing through such sham charities fuels Hamas’s terrorist activities, including the atrocities committed on 7 October 2023. US Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York stated that Hasna abused his position to raise money and channel funds and supplies to a brutal organisation responsible for the murders of dozens of Americans and over a thousand other victims.
“Mohammad Hasna is alleged to have abused his position as the global director of a purported humanitarian organization to raise money and provide funds and supplies to Hamas, a brutal terrorist organization responsible for the murders of dozens of Americans and over a thousand other innocent victims, including as part of the heinous atrocities of October 7,” McDonald said.
FBI Assistant Director Jarod Brown of the Counterterrorism Division emphasised that the defendant coordinated closely with a senior Hamas leader and knew the resources were destined for the group rather than needy civilians.
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. The case is being prosecuted by the Southern District of New York’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit, with assistance from UK authorities and the Israeli Security Agency. An indictment remains an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
