(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Federal authorities have charged two people with hate crime-related offenses in connection with antisemitic graffiti incidents at Jewish institutions in Squirrel Hill earlier this year.
Mohamad Hamad, 23, of Coraopolis, and Talya A. Lubit, 24, of Oakland, are charged with conspiracy and defacing or damaging religious property, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday.
Investigators said Mr. Hamad was a member of the maintenance squad of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard’s 171st Air Refueling Wing stationed in Moon until he was barred from the facility in mid-September.
The graffiti appeared overnight July 28 into July 29.
“Jews 4 Palestine” was spray-painted on a wall at Chabad of Squirrel Hill accompanied by an inverted red triangle, which investigators described as a pro-Hamas symbol that has become widely used in pro-Palestinian protests.
