PITTSBURGH (TNS) — A former Pittsburgh-area man who federal officials say traveled to Lebanon and Syria to join the terrorist group Hezbollah has been indicted on a terrorism offense and for lying to the FBI, the U.S. Dept. of Justice announced Thursday.
Jack Danaher Molloy, 24, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of attempting to support a foreign terrorist organization and for making false statements involving international terrorism to a department or agency of the United States.
Molloy was previously charged with making false statements on Dec. 6. He was arrested in Chicago that day and transported by the U.S. Marshals Service to Pittsburgh on Dec. 30.
From around August through December, in various locations in Pennsylvania and overseas, Molloy attempted to provide material support and resources to Hezbollah, the U.S. Dept. of Justice said.
Hezbollah (also known as Hizballah), an Iran-backed militia and a United States-designated foreign terrorist organization, was formed in the wake of the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and has conducted numerous terrorist attacks against Israeli and Western targets, including against American military and diplomatic personnel, according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice.
The federal government says Molloy — a dual citizen of the United States and Ireland, who previously served on active-duty status in the U.S. Army from mid-March to late April in 2019 — traveled to Lebanon in August and attempted to join Hezbollah.
While in Lebanon, the U.S. Department of Justice says Molloy was told by multiple individuals that the time was not right to join the terrorist group and that he needed to take other steps before he could join the terrorist organization.
Molloy then traveled from Lebanon to Syria in October in an effort to fight for Hezbollah in Syria, the federal government said.
After returning to the United States, Molloy resided in Upper St. Clair, a Pittsburgh suburb, where he continued his attempts to join the terrorist organization including through communication with individuals online and in Lebanon, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Federal officials said that Molloy expressed his hatred toward, and promoted violence against, Jewish people.
Federal officials said his animus toward Jewish people was evidenced by multiple images and videos on his electronic devices and the usernames he chose for his social media and email accounts, including a username on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) that included an offensive term for Jewish people.
In one WhatsApp exchange with a family member, Molloy agreed that his “master plan was to join Hezbollah and kill Jews,” according to federal officials.
“The indictment further alleges that, upon arriving at the Pittsburgh International Airport on Oct. 20, 2024, Molloy lied to agents of the FBI when he told them (1) that he had no current or future plans to become involved with Hezbollah, and (2) that he had no business in, nor was he meeting with anyone, in Syria,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release. “These statements and representations were false because Molloy knew at that time that (1) he did have current and future plans to become involved with Hizballah and (2) Molloy traveled to Syria in furtherance of his attempts to join Hizballah, and while in Syria, set up a meeting with an individual there.”
If convicted, Molloy faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for a material support charge. For false statement charges, he faces a maximum penalty of eight years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
