THE GRENADE PHOTO, THE CRYPTO TRAIL AND THE HAMAS FLAG

Catherine Beth Washburn, 37, of Irondequoit, New York — identified by the Department of Justice as a leader of the Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation (DAMPL). Photo reflects her public-facing appearance prior to arrest.

Catherine Beth Washburn — a separate self-photograph showing her in religious/ideological dress. Federal prosecutors describe her as a "self-described anti-Zionist radical" who repeatedly voiced antisemitic hatred in recovered electronic communications.

On June 30, 2026, the Justice Department announced the arrest of Catherine Beth Washburn, 37, of Irondequoit, New York, on a criminal complaint charging her with attempting to provide material support and resources — specifically currency — to the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), also known as Al-Quds Brigades, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, Washburn is a leader of the Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation (DAMPL) — an extremist organization formed in the aftermath of Hamas's October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel. DAMPL explicitly rejects peaceful protest, instead engaging in what it calls "direct action" — sabotage and property destruction — against entities it associates with Israel.

Official DOJ evidence photograph — Washburn's phone selfie propped beside two hand grenades in front of a Hamas flag. Released publicly by the Justice Department as part of U.S. v. Catherine Beth Washburn, Case No. 26-MJ-569.

In February and March 2026, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force executed search warrants and recovered electronic messages between Washburn and an individual who identified himself as a PIJ fighter in Gaza claiming to have engaged in attacks against Israel. In those messages, Washburn wrote: "If I lived in Gaza, I would fight alongside the resistance." She praised the individual's bravery, wrote "I wish every day were October 7th," stated he was not the first fighter she had met, said she hated Jews "very much," and stated she wished Israel "would disappear."

In other messages, Washburn and the individual discussed purported PIJ attacks on Israel, weapons, and ammunition. In one exchange, Washburn wrote: "I feel excited every time I see news of the killing of an occupation soldier."

An analysis of financial records determined that Washburn made approximately 80 separate cryptocurrency transfers totaling approximately 30,116 USDC — the equivalent of $30,116 — to an account used by the individual claiming PIJ affiliation in Gaza. Investigators further allege she raised funds for this purpose through public online platforms including Chuffed, PayPal, and Linktree.

In a November 2025 message recovered by investigators, Washburn wrote: "[b]ased on my passed [sic] fundraising and posting Im [sic] gonna get put away for a few life times," accompanied by what investigators describe as a laughing emoji — a statement prosecutors are likely to characterize as consciousness of guilt.

According to the George Washington University Program on Extremism, DAMPL emerged publicly in the spring of 2025 as a new domestic extremist group that rapidly escalated from online rhetoric to acts of vandalism, intimidation, and attempted incendiary attacks. The group is rooted in extreme anti-Zionist and far-left anti-imperialist ideology and openly aligns itself with Hamas symbols and rhetoric, while drawing tactical inspiration from the UK-based militant network Palestine Action — which the British government designated a banned terrorist organization in late 2023.

DAMPL operates as a decentralized network without a publicly known formal hierarchy. Members refer to one another as "DAMPL Action Comrades" and coordinate primarily through encrypted messaging applications and closed social media groups, while using mainstream platforms — Telegram, Instagram, TikTok, Signal, Discord, and UpScrolled — to publicize claims of responsibility and spread propaganda. Activists frequently conceal their identities using pseudonyms, keffiyehs, and voice-altering software in videos.

DAMPL was in its infancy at the time of the May 2025 Capital Jewish Museum shooting, in which two Israeli embassy staffers — Yaron Lischinsky and his fiancée — were murdered by suspect Elias Rodriguez. DAMPL leadership publicly praised the attack. Co-founder Michael (Mike) Fantasia of Marlborough, Massachusetts, posted a video stating: "Bodies will drop. Your relationship with the Zionist entity will cost you: your life or your funds, one or the other. No more do we ask nicely... If you aren't with this, get the fuck out of our way and let us handle it."

Fantasia further posted: "If you are denouncing the murder of 2 zionists [sic] you are NOT WITH OUR MOVEMENT! ... BODIES WILL CONTINUE TO FALL UNTIL CHANGE IS MADE." He also posted a photograph of murdered victim Yaron Lischinsky with the caption: "Im [sic] so glad your [sic] dead." Fantasia has posted photographs of himself wearing a Hamas headband and using an image of Hamas October 7 attack architect Yahya Sinwar as a social media profile picture.

DAMPL's June–July 2025 vandalism campaign was branded internally as "Operation Global Monsoon" — an explicit reference to "Al-Aqsa Flood," the name Hamas gave its October 7, 2023 attack. The group has repeatedly circulated Hamas propaganda content on its Telegram channel, including statements from Hamas military spokesperson Abu Obaida, and has adopted the inverted red triangle — a symbol first used by Hamas to mark Israeli targets in propaganda videos — as a recurring tag in its own graffiti.

The Anti-Defamation League has documented DAMPL's promotion of classical antisemitic tropes, including claims that Israel "controls" the U.S. government. The group's social media signature routinely closes with: "Intifada until liberation. Palestine or we scorch the earth" — alongside hashtags including "#deathtoisrael" and "#deathtoallempire."