A man who described himself as a Hamas operative and once bragged he had “been a terrorist since he’s been a kid” now faces a slew of new federal charges, along with two women from Pittsburgh, after authorities disrupted what appeared to be a terror scheme involving homemade explosives.
Mohamad Hamad, 23, who holds dual citizenship in the United States and Lebanon, was already under indictment for vandalizing a synagogue. On Tuesday, he was hit with a nine-count superseding indictment alongside Talya Lubit, 24, and Micaiah Collins, 22.
“Mohamad Hamad lied about his loyalty to the United States, among other false statements, in an attempt to obtain a Top-Secret security clearance,” Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti said.
“During that time, he openly expressed support for Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Hamas. In addition to his previously charged role in defacing Jewish religious property, he also conspired with others named in this Superseding Indictment to manufacture and detonate destructive devices.”
Previously, Hamad and Lubit had been charged with spray-painting anti-Zionist slogans in red at the Chabad of Squirrel Hill synagogue and defacing the offices of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
The new indictment centers around accusations that Hamad deceived federal investigators while seeking a top-secret clearance and engaged in constructing explosive devices.
Shortly after joining the Pennsylvania Air National Guard — part of the Air Force Reserve — in June 2023, Hamad, living in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, allegedly messaged a contact in Ohio saying, “[i]t’s still Palestine on top though make no mistake,” prosecutors said.
While undergoing Air Force training, Hamad shared graphic footage of Hamas attacks against Israel with an associate, adding that “Us Muslims never surrender or back down,” according to the indictment.
Prosecutors say Hamad filled out paperwork to obtain a top-secret clearance in December 2023 and later sat for three interviews and a background check with the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, during which he allegedly made false claims about his allegiance.
“Been a terrorist since I was a kid in Lebanon, real ….,” Hamad allegedly said in a Signal message sent to Collins in June 2024, alongside a childhood photo of himself holding a firearm.
Around that same time, Hamad and Collins are accused of conspiring to build a “destructive device” and testing it, exchanging messages about the strength of the blast.
“That …. was a blast,” Hamad wrote to Collins on July 7, 2024, according to prosecutors.
Authorities allege that Hamad went on to assemble two pipe bombs and other explosive devices, testing them following the initial detonation.
After the explosions, Hamad allegedly celebrated in private chats, calling himself a “Hamas operative” and joking about the fear he could cause by ripping down Israeli flags while masked in suburban neighborhoods, the indictment claims.
Hamad also posted tributes to Hamas leaders on Instagram, stating, “Without these men our resistance would be 100 years behind.”
Officials have not disclosed any concrete terror plot tied to the devices Hamad built.
Later that month, prosecutors say Hamad and Lubit vandalized Jewish institutions, scrawling “Jews 4 Palestine” in red graffiti on the Chabad of Squirrel Hill and “Funds Genocide Jews, Hate Zionists” on the Jewish Federation’s building.
“I can literally feel myself starting to see Jews as my enemies,” Lubit allegedly wrote to Hamad that July.
“Like, I’m ANGRY. I’m so tired of feeling like being Jewish means I have to second guess being anti oppression,” she said in another message. “I will not survive being Jewish if I don’t learn to get past that. I’ll just end up abandoning it.”
Lubit is further accused of helping Hamad identify Jewish-owned properties for targeting.
Investigators linked the vandalism to Hamad and, while building their case, uncovered evidence of his involvement with homemade explosive devices, according to the FBI.
“We always rely on tips from the public,” an FBI spokesperson told The NY Post. “This really started with the vandalism to the religious institutions here … determining the suspects in that and determining what their motivations were for the fairly strict criteria for a federal hate crime.”
Both Hamad and Lubit have previously shown political support for certain progressive lawmakers known as members of the “Squad.”
In 2023, Hamad donated $10 to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) after she called for a ceasefire following Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel.
That same year, Hamad gave $5 to Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) after she was censured by Congress for labeling Israel an “apartheid government” and defending Palestinian “resistance.”
Meanwhile, Lubit joined more than 130 Jewish signatories on a letter supporting Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) when she advocated for a ceasefire less than two weeks after the Oct. 7 attacks.
Hamad now faces charges of making false statements, conspiracy, possession of destructive devices, and vandalizing religious property, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and fines totaling $250,000.
Collins is charged with conspiracy and faces a potential five-year prison sentence along with a $250,000 fine.
Lubit is charged with conspiracy and vandalism of religious property, which could result in up to one year behind bars and a fine of up to $100,000.
“The FBI and our partners are committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who reportedly choose to lie about being loyal to this country and instead engage in dangerous, menacing, and illegal activities,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek.
{Matzav.com}