A grand jury indicted Jack Danaher Molloy, 24, a dual American and Irish citizen who is accused of trying to join Hezbollah and lying about supporting the terror group to the FBI, the U.S. Justice Department stated on Thursday.
U.S. marshals brought Molloy, who was arrested in Chicago on Dec. 6, to Pittsburgh on Dec. 30. The Justice Department didn’t state what day he was indicted.
A former active duty member of the U.S. military, Molloy allegedly traveled to Syria and Lebanon between August and December last year to join the U.S.-designated terror organization, per the department.
“While in Lebanon, Molloy was told by multiple individuals that the time was not right and that he needed to take other steps before he could join the terrorist organization,” said the Justice Department. “Molloy then traveled from Lebanon to Syria in October 2024 in an effort to fight for Hezbollah in Syria. After returning to the United States, Molloy resided in Upper St. Clair, where he continued his attempts to join Hezbollah, including through communication with individuals online and in Lebanon.”
“During his time in the United States and abroad, Molloy also allegedly expressed his hatred toward, and promoted violence against, Jewish people,” the department added. “Molloy’s alleged animus toward Jews was also evidenced by multiple images and videos on his electronic devices and the usernames he chose for his social media and email accounts,” including one with an anti-Jewish slur.
“In one alleged WhatsApp exchange with a family member, Molloy agreed that his ‘master plan was to join Hezbollah and kill Jews,’” the department stated. “While he was residing in Upper St. Clair, Molloy also allegedly visited a website detailing the possible incarceration location of Robert Bowers, who carried out the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue shooting during which he murdered 11 Jewish worshippers.”
Molloy lied to FBI agents on Oct. 20 at Pittsburgh International Airport when he told them that he had no plans to join Hezbollah and that he didn’t plan to conduct business with or meet anyone in Syria, according to the Justice Department.
“As alleged, Jack Molloy, an avowed adherent of Hezballah harboring deep-seated animus against Jews, took many steps over a period of months—at home and abroad—in his effort to join and fight for this deadly foreign terrorist organization,” stated Eric Olshan, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
“This case is yet another sobering reminder of the threat of radicalized violence against Americans, and while the defendant appears to have worked hard to achieve his terrorist goals, today’s charges demonstrate that the resolve of our office and our partners in law enforcement is stronger,” Olshan stated. “We will continue working every day to ensure that members of the Jewish community and every other community in this country can live their lives without fear that they will be targeted by a hate-fueled terrorist attack.”
Molloy faces up to 36 years in prison and a $750,000 fine for the three charges.
