A 37-year-old New York woman named Catherine Beth Washburn was arrested and charged with attempting to provide funding to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the US Justice Department stated on Tuesday.
According to the criminal complaint, Washburn is a leader of the Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation (DAMPL), an extremist organization founded after the October 7 massacre. DAMPL has committed acts of sabotage and property destruction in support of Palestine and against entities that it associates with Israel, rejecting the idea of peaceful protest.
Washburn herself celebrated acts of terror against Israel and praised the bravery of PIJ terrorists. In messages recovered by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in February and March, Washburn and an individual who identified himself as a PIJ member and who claimed to have engaged in PIJ attacks against Israel discussed purported PIJ attacks on Israel, weapons, and ammunition.
An image shared by the DOJ also appears to show Washburn posing with grenades and a Hamas flag in the background.
Washburn also told the individual that she hated Jews “very much” and that she wished Israel “would disappear.”
“I wish every day were October 7th,” Washburn stated in one message.
“I feel excited every time I see news of the killing of an occupation soldier,” read another.
Washburn sends money to terror organizations
According to the DOJ, Washburn made approximately 80 cryptocurrency transfers totaling about $30,116 to an account used by the alleged PIJ member.
“As alleged in the complaint, this defendant, fueled by her self-described hate of Israel and Jewish people, went to great lengths to attempt to provide financial support to terrorist organizations that use violence to further their agendas, including the Palestine Islamic Jihad,” said US Attorney Michael DiGiacomo for the Western District of New York.
“Despite her alleged attempts, including cryptic communications with a fighter involved in violent attacks in an area thousands of miles away, Catherine Washburn was stopped and so too were her efforts to support violent extremism.”
