Self-described ‘Hamas operative’ vandalizes Pennsylvania synagogue, Jewish center

One, who bought also explosives and self-identified as “a Hamas operative,” was a member of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Two people from the Pittsburgh area were arrested Wednesday on hate-crime charges for having allegedly defaced a synagogue and Jewish federation building in the city.

According to the police complaint, on July 29, Mohamad Hamad, who self-identified as “a Hamas operative,” and a Jewish woman, Talya Lubit, spraypainted in large red letters “Jews 4 Palestine” on the Chabad synagogue of Squirrel Hill.

They also painted an inverted red triangle beneath the words, a mark which Hamas has used online to label Israeli locations and people for targeting purposes.

The pair also graffitied a sign on the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh building, writing that the organization “funds genocide,” adding a heart sign before the word “Jews” followed by the words “hate Zionists.”

Hamad went further, buying explosives and even practicing with some, filming a detonation he caused in a vacant area with the stated aim of using it in the future against unknown persons or locations.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Pennsylvania accused the two, in their early twenties, with “conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States” by committing “a civil rights violation involving damage to religious real property.”

“Defacing religious property is not protected speech—it is a crime,” U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan said. “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,” he continued, “and our partners in law enforcement, and we are dedicated to pursuing justice on behalf of the victims of these crimes.”

The joint FBI-police investigation kicked off after Chabad complained about the hateful graffiti, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

“Hamad’s and Lubit’s cell phones were seized, and a review of the contents revealed, among other things, messages during the month of July 2024 between Hamad and Lubit during which they planned their vandalism activities and specifically discussed selecting Jewish targets,” it said.

They also found text messages in which Hamad wrote of his “ultimate goal in life” being to become a “shaheed,” a Muslim martyr, and that “My heart yearns for being with my brothers overseas.”

Among Lubit’s messages were statements such as “I can literally feel myself starting to see Jews as my enemies,” and, “I’m tired of the voice in my head, telling me that Jews would not go with the oppressed.”

In a search of Hamad’s home, the authorities discovered the spray paint can allegedly used in the crimes, and a sweatshirt with the inverted triangle symbol and the words “Respect existence or expect resistance,” along with an image of an armed, masked man.

Hamad belonged to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard until September, when, according to the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, “he was barred from the facility.”

The crimes for which the pair are charged carry a prison sentence of up to two years and/or a fine of up to $200,000, depending on their criminal history and the seriousness of the offenses.

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