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FIRST ON FOX: A New York woman accused of leading a radical extremist group and posing with hand grenades in front of a Hamas flag has been arrested after allegedly funneling tens of thousands of dollars to a Palestinian terrorist organization.
Catherine Beth Washburn, 37, of Irondequoit, a suburb of Rochester, is charged with attempting to provide material support to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
Washburn was the leader of the Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation (DAMPL), a radical organization formed in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, according to the Justice Department.
The federal complaint noted that DAMPL rejects peaceful protests, opting instead for “direct action,” including property destruction and acts of sabotage against entities it associates with Israel.
Catherine Beth Washburn pictured with two hand grenades in front of Hamas flag. (DOJ)
Communications recovered by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force revealed messages to a person claiming to be an active PIJ fighter in Gaza, where Washburn allegedly said she hated Jewish people “very much” and wished Israel “would disappear.”
“I wish every day were October 7th,” Washburn is accused of writing in one exchange. “If I lived in Gaza, I would fight alongside the resistance.”
Later, she allegedly said she felt “excited every time I see news of the killing of an occupation soldier.”
MAN LINKED TO HAMAS ATTACK ON ISRAEL INDICTED IN LOUISIANA FOR CONSPIRING TO SUPPORT TERRORIST GROUP
Pro-Palestinian protesters participate in a rally in Times Square in New York City, Oct. 13, 2023. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images, File)
MAN LINKED TO HAMAS ATTACK ON ISRAEL INDICTED IN LOUISIANA FOR CONSPIRING TO SUPPORT TERRORIST GROUP
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo said Washburn went to “great lengths” to finance violence, driven by “her self-described hate of Israel and Jewish people.”
Financial records show she sent roughly 80 cryptocurrency transfers totaling more than $30,000 to an account used by the PIJ fighter.
In a November 2025 message, she allegedly joked about the illicit activities, writing, “Based on my passed [sic] fundraising and posting Im [sic] gonna get put away for a few life times,” accompanied by a laughing emoji.
Catherine Beth Washburn is accused of texting with a terrorist and transferring funds. (Fox News, File)
FBI Counterterrorism Division Acting Assistant Director Coult Markovsky said anyone who provides assistance to violent organizations will be held responsible.
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“This individual, as alleged in the criminal complaint, provided money to a foreign terrorist organization engaged in acts of violence,” Markovsky said. “The FBI is committed to cutting off funding to terrorist groups and will continue to work side-by-side with our Justice Department partners to make sure anyone who engages in terrorism or provides assistance to such organizations is held fully accountable in our justice system.”