An alleged “Hamas operative” accused of vandalizing synagogues and Jewish cultural centers with pro-Palestinian graffiti and building an explosive device supported and donated to members of Congress’s “Squad,” the New York Post reported.
Mohamad Hamad, 23-year-old a Lebanese American dual citizen who lives in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, was arrested Wednesday along with an alleged accomplice, 24-year-old Jewish anti-Israel activist Talya Lubit.
The pair are accused of defacing Jewish buildings in Pittsburgh on July 29 by spray-painting “Jews 4 Palestine” and the pro-Hamas inverted triangle symbol on the exterior of the Chabad of Squirrel Hill synagogue and educational center and writing that the Jewish Federation “Funds Genocide” on the nonprofit’s sign.
The defaced sign was also made to read, “[Love] Jews, Hate Zionists.”
FBI and Pittsburgh police investigators determined that Hamad had purchased the red spray paint used in the vandalism the day before the crimes were committed, and his vehicle was captured on surveillance cameras at both scenes, according to the Post.
Lubit, who identified as an “agnostic Jew” from an Israeli family in an online “couch-surfing” profile, is accused of being Hamad’s accomplice in the spray-paintings.
Search warrants executed at the residences of Hamad and Lubit allegedly revealed evidence on their cell phones, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Pennsylvania saying they messaged each other to plan their activity and “specifically discussed selecting Jewish targets.”
In one text viewed by investigators, Hamad allegedly referred to himself as a “Hamas operative” and sent a picture of himself wearing a Hamas symbol headband to an unnamed third party.
In messages exchanged with another individual earlier in July, Hamad allegedly talked about building an explosive device and sent a video of a test detonation.
U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced that both suspects have been charged with damaging religious property and conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States.
“Defacing religious property is not protected speech—it is a crime,” Olshan said in his office’s press release.
Members of our communities should be able to practice their faith without fear of being targeted for their religious affiliation, including, as alleged here, with a symbol associated with a terrorist organization. Protecting the civil rights of the people of Western Pennsylvania is of paramount importance to this office and our partners in law enforcement, and we are dedicated to pursuing justice on behalf of the victims of these crimes.
Hamad was a member of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard with the 171st Maintenance Squadron stationed in Moon Township until he was “barred from the facility” on September 13, Fox News reported.
According to FEC records found by the New York Post, he donated $10 to “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar, (D-MN) in November 2023 as she demanded a cease-fire from Israel following the October 7 Hamas attack.
Hamad also contributed $5 to Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) in April 2024, after Congress censured her for justifying Hamas’s slaughtering of civilians as “resistance” against an “apartheid government.”
Despite the message spray painted on the Jewish Federation’s sign claiming that they “love” Jews and only hate Zionists, Lubit allegedly wrote “I can literally feel myself starting to see Jews as my enemies,” in a message to Hamad just before the vandalism took place.
“Every day I think, ‘I don’t want to be Jewish anymore,’” she added.
Court documents obtained by the Post also revealed an image allegedly shared by Lubit, showing a Nazi swastika on an Israeli flag with the statement, “Facts.”
Documents also say Lubit shared an image of the Nazi swastika in the middle of an Israeli flag, writing “Facts.”
