Upstate New York woman arrested for funding Palestinian Islamic Jihad

US federal authorities arrest a woman from Upstate New York for allegedly sending funds to Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Catherine Beth Washburn, 37, from the Rochester area, is charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the US Department of Justice says in a statement.

Washburn is a leader of the Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation, a group that rejects peaceful protests and instead favors “direct action,” such as acts of sabotage, to support Palestinians, the statement says.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force executed search warrants on Washburn’s electronic devices earlier this year.

The investigators allegedly recovered messages between Washburn and a Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighter in Gaza who claimed he had attacked Israel.

Washburn’s messages included, “I wish every day were October 7th,” that she hated Jews “very much,” that she wished Israel “would disappear,” and that if she lived in Gaza, she “would fight alongside the resistance.”

“I feel very excited every time I see news of the killing of an occupation soldier,” she said, according to the Department of Justice.

Financial records showed that Washburn had sent 80 transfers of cryptocurrency to the individual, amounting to $30,116.

She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.