PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WHTM) -- A Pennsylvania man is facing federal charges after authorities say he traveled overseas to support a foreign terrorist organization and lied about it.
Jack Danaher Molloy, 24, of Upper St. Clair, was indicted and arrested on Dec. 6, authorities said Thursday.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Molloy is a dual U.S. and Irish citizen and previously served on active duty status in the U.S. Army.
He traveled to Lebanon in August of 2024 and attempted to join Hezbollah and was told that the time was not right and that he needed to take other steps before he could join.
Molloy then went to Syria in October and attempted again. When he returned stateside, he again continued attempts to join the organization, according to the Justice Department.
Authorities said that he had expressed hatred and promoted violence against Jewish people via social media, noting that he'd told a family member that his “master plan was to join Hezbollah and kill Jews.”
Get daily news, weather, breaking news and alerts straight to your inbox! Sign up for the abc27 newsletters here
He is also accused of lying to federal authorities in October, telling FBI agents at the Pittsburgh International Airport that he had no plans of joining Hezbollah and that he had no business in, nor was he meeting with anyone, in Syria.
If convicted, he could face 20 years in prison.