Pittsburgh: A man converts to Islam and informs his mother that his "ultimate plan was to join Hezbollah and target Jews"

Image: Jihad Watch

Jack Danaher Molloy, 24, a dual Irish-American citizen, reportedly attempted to join the Hezbollah terrorist organization after traveling to Lebanon in August and Syria in October, according to a federal complaint unsealed on Monday.

In Lebanon, Molloy was advised by several individuals that “the time was not right” and was told to take additional steps before joining Hezbollah, as stated in the 27-page complaint. Subsequently, in October 2024, he traveled from Lebanon to Syria, intending to join the Syrian branch of the group.

The complaint alleges that Molloy idolized violence and expressed a desire to kill Jews, as evidenced by content found on his electronic devices and the antisemitic monikers he used on social media and email accounts. These aliases included variations of phrases like “kike killer” and “gas the Jews.” Additionally, he used an email address linked to his PayPal account containing the phrase “glassofjuice88,” which, according to the Justice Department, is a coded reference to antisemitic rhetoric and white supremacist symbolism.

Between August and September, Molloy searched online for terms like “Hezbollah training” and “Hezbollah reserves” and exchanged WhatsApp voice notes with unidentified individuals who encouraged him to attend mosques associated with Hezbollah and to learn Arabic. On September 20, 2024, he messaged someone on Snapchat, describing his attendance at a Hezbollah funeral and interactions with guards who allegedly recognized him and were aware of his interest in joining the group. He wrote, “They were entertaining the idea of me being Hezb. I fully expect to be taken off the streets at any moment for questioning and vetting.”

Molloy, a former U.S. military service member who converted to Islam in February 2024, expressed a longstanding hatred of Zionists and a desire to fight against them. In September, he wrote that he saw his actions as continuing his great-grandmother’s fight against Zionists, “but now Islamically.” He claimed to have thought about this mission every day since he was 18.

The complaint also notes that Molloy was warned Hezbollah might suspect him of being an Israeli agent. Despite this, he continued pursuing his plans, even discussing them with his mother. She questioned his intentions, including his idea of going to Russia to fight against Ukraine as part of his larger goal to join Hezbollah. He described the move as “a one-year job” that would help further his ambitions, though his mother dismissed his plans as a result of “unstable thinking.”

After returning to the U.S. and residing in Upper St. Clair, a Pittsburgh suburb, Molloy reportedly continued actions aligned with his desire to join Hezbollah, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)