A man who called himself "an agent of Hamas" and managed to infiltrate the United States Air Force, and who once boasted of "having been a terrorist since childhood", was charged this week with new criminal charges, along with two women from Pittsburgh, after a suspected terrorist plot involving homemade bombs was uncovered.
Mohamad Hamad, 23 years old, with dual American and Lebanese citizenship, was already facing charges for desecrating a synagogue, and on Tuesday received a superseding indictment with nine charges, along with Talya Lubid, 24 years old, and Micaiah Collins, 22.
"Mohamad Hamad lied about his loyalty to the United States, among other falsehoods, in order to obtain a high-level security clearance," stated Acting U.S. Attorney Rivetti.
During that period, Hamad openly expressed his support for Lebanon and the Islamic terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas. In addition to his involvement in acts of vandalism against Jewish religious properties, he also conspired to manufacture and detonate explosive devices.
Hamad and Lubid had previously been charged with making anti-Semitic graffiti in red on the Chabad synagogue in Squirrel Hill and vandalizing the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh's office building.
The new charges point to both Hamad's alleged false statements to federal officials while attempting to obtain a high-level security clearance, and his involvement in the manufacture of explosive devices.
Shortly after joining the Air Force, in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, in June 2023, Hamad, who resided in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, sent a private message to a contact in Ohio stating that "although Palestine stands, make no mistake", according to prosecutors.
