The Justice Department has indicted a former US Army soldier for allegedly making false statements to the FBI and traveling overseas to join Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist organization.
Jack Danaher Molloy, a dual U.S.-Irish citizen, traveled to Lebanon and Syria to connect with the terrorist group to become an operative, according to the indictment.
Molloy allegedly traveled to these countries in 2024. He resided in areas close to Hezbollah’s headquarters while looking for opportunities to join up with the group, the indictment states. He also communicated with various individuals to help him learn how to gain the organization’s trust.
In a voice message on WhatsApp an unidentified female told Molloy that he would “meet new people” at a particular mosque because there were “a lot of Shia people, a lot of Hizballah members.”
She also suggested that Molloy learn Arabic to endear himself to members of the group. “It’s going to be a huge factor … It’s very important for you to learn Arabic,” she said.
Another unidentified female told the defendant that “it’s very hard for someone to apply because there are no bootcamps or recruiting aspects” of joining Hezbollah. She suggested that the terrorist group would conduct extensive background checks and surveillance to ensure he was the real deal. “Your every movement will be monitored, your every action will be monitored…to make sure that you are truly decent,” she said.
The woman further explained, “It’s going to take more than three or four months, and things are not very safe.”
The defendant allegedly attended events tied to the terrorist organization – including a funeral at which guards were aware of his desire to join the group. Even after returning to the United States, Molloy sought out other ways to communicate with Hezbollah, according to the indictment.
One of the female operatives told Molloy “Sometimes a voice is far more powerful than a weapon and sometimes a pen is far more powerful than a knife, so you can influence the un-influenced.”
Molloy’s devices were full of antisemitism propaganda. It contained images and messages advocating violence against the Jewish people. The investigation revealed how radicalized the defendant had become. He often posted on social media about how Hezbollah influenced him to convert to Islam and nurtured his desire to kill Jews.
Molloy enlisted in the Army in 2019, but left active duty after just over one month. He later joined the U.S. Army Reserve’s ROTC program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He didn’t last long there either, despite being raised in a military family.
FBI agents questioned the defendant after he returned to the United States. The indictment accuses Molloy of lying to the agents, telling them he did not have plans to join Hezbollah. Nevertheless, investigators found evidence in his travel records, electronic devices, and his communications with Hezbollah operatives.
“[Molloy] told agents that he had no current or future plans to become involved with Hizballah and that he had no business in nor was he meeting with anyone in Syria,” the indictment reads.
The FBI found out that Molloy had conducted several Google searches related to joining the group. These included “is Hezbollah recruiting.”
This revelation comes just after an ISIS operative killed 15 people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans when he drove a truck into a crowd on New Year’s Day. He was killed by police in a gunfight soon after.
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