Air Guardsman who made vile comment about America charged in antisemitic attack and bomb-making plot

A Pennsylvania Air National Guardsman once trusted with America s guard is facing federal charges after allegedly building explosives promoting extremist violence and vandalizing a Jewish synagogue all while lying about his loyalty to the U S A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh returned a nine-count indictment against three Pittsburgh-area residents acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti revealed this week The indictment names Mohamad Hamad of Coraopolis Talya A Lubit of Pittsburgh and Micaiah Collins of Pittsburgh as defendants Hamad and Lubit had previously been indicted for their roles in allegedly defacing Jewish religious property with pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel graffiti YALE DROPS ALLEGED HAMAS-TIED SCHOLAR GROUP'S STATUS AFTER 'DISTURBING ANTISEMITIC CONDUCT'According to an indictment Hamad enlisted in the Air Force Pennsylvania Air National Guard PAANG in joining the st Maintenance Squadron based near Pittsburgh International Airport As part of his enlistment he sought a top-secret guard clearance While undergoing his background research including three in-person interviews Hamad allegedly made a series of false statements swearing his ultimate allegiance was to the U S PALESTINIAN LEADER DEMANDS HAMAS RELEASE REMAINING HOSTAGESIn reality court documents show Hamad privately celebrated terrorist groups and expressed deep hostility toward America In messages he stated It's still Palestine on top though make no mistake and let America lick my a-- He declared that Lebanon and Palestine were number in his heart and commented he craved to learn combat skills to protect them Throughout late and while attending military training Hamad allegedly shared violent pro-Hamas videos glorified terrorist attacks and praised Hamas fighters as freedom fighters according to the indictment The indictment further alleges that during this same period Hamad conspired with co-defendant Collins to manufacture and possess destructive devices They allegedly purchased materials like potassium perchlorate and aluminum powder built explosives including pipe bombs and detonated them during testing One chilling conversation captured Hamad admitting he was really scared of the bomb he built while Collins excitedly discussed the prospective to take bros ankles Hamad s actions were not limited to building bombs On social media he openly posted images supporting Hamas operatives expressed envy of jihadists killed in action and posted threats such as I can't wait until the day Muslims kill you I would be so happy In a separate conspiracy Hamad and Lubit allegedly targeted Chabad of Squirrel Hill a synagogue and Jewish educational center in Pittsburgh Wearing a Hamas-style headband Hamad conducted surveillance of the synagogue Lubit later allegedly spray-painted Jews Palestine along with a red inverted triangle a symbol used by Hamas to mark targets onto the synagogue s exterior In encrypted messages Lubit chillingly stated I can literally feel myself starting to see Jews as my enemies according to the indictment Federal investigators later linked Hamad and Lubit to additional vandalism of a Jewish Federation sign nearby further escalating society concerns about targeted antisemitic threats As alleged in the Superseding Indictment Mohamad Hamad lied about his loyalty to the United States among other false statements in an attempt to obtain a Top-Secret safeguard clearance Rivetti commented During that time he openly expressed encouragement for Lebanon Hezbollah and Hamas Rivetti emphasized that his office remains resolute in safeguarding the Jewish region and the society Protecting the American people is spelled out in the Mission of the FBI That includes all our communities mentioned FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek He vowed the FBI remains committed to examining individuals who engage in dangerous menacing and illegal sessions The law provides for maximum penalties of up to years in prison and a fine for Hamad five years and a fine for Collins and one year and a fine for Lubit depending on the seriousness of the offenses and any prior criminal history CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPAssistant U S attorneys Nicole Vasquez Schmitt and Carolyn J Bloch are prosecuting the development with assistance from the Department of Justice National Prevention Division The research was conducted by the FBI the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police