Shawn Brokos

Mohammad Hamad, one of individuals arrested for Hate Crimes relative to the threatening graffiti on Chabad of Squirrel Hill and Jewish Federation’s office is seeking to be released from custody pending trial. His defense attorney filed the motion and the government is responding. We will keep you posted as this unfolds.

Election Day in Pennsylvania is next Tuesday, November 4. Numerous local elections, including the Pittsburgh Mayoral and statewide Pennsylvania Supreme Court elections, will take place across the region. Please remain vigilant and situationally aware.

The NCTC, FBI and DHS just released the 2025 edition of the U.S. Violent Extremist Mobilization Indicators booklet. It’s an excellent, concise guide outlining behavioral warning signs across three stages of radicalization—mobilization, preparation and motivation, outlining things that we should all be on the lookout for regardless of ideology.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, in partnership with Secure Community Network (SCN) announced the launch of our Embedded Analyst Program (EAP) to serve the Pittsburgh area and surrounding region. This initiative provides for a full-time Intelligence Analyst to be embedded with our Security Team at the Federation.

The Rabbi in the Yom Kippur attack in Manchester, UK did exactly what we train to do in our Run, Hide, Fight model by barricading the congregants and keeping them safe.

A report published by the Combat Antisemitism Movement has recorded 694 antisemitic incidents worldwide in August 2025. The United States had the highest amount with 162 incidents followed by Greece, the United Kingdom, Canada then France. This report only captures incidents formally reported to authorities.

For awareness, there will be a pro-Palestinian protest in Schenley Plaza on Saturday, September 20, at 6:30 PM. According to information on social media, the theme for this protest is “When Palestine Calls, Pittsburgh Answers.” We will continue to monitor with law enforcement for any security concerns.

Talya A. Lubit, a co-defendant in the antisemitic and targeted graffiti incident at Chabad of Squirrel Hill and Jewish Federation on July 29, 2024, was sentenced to five years of probation on Wednesday in federal court. She had previously plead to one count of conspiracy and one count of defacing a religious institution.

On Aug 28, a federal judge ruled that the University of Pittsburgh must immediately reinstate the local chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). SJP has a long history of anti-Zionist and anti-Israel protests and rallies, including taking part in a June 2024 encampment on university property that jeopardized the safety of students and law enforcement.

There has been a lot of information on the news and social media relative to what was written in the gunman’s journals as well as on the gunman’s firearms in the tragic Catholic school shooting in Minneapolis on Aug 27th that left two children dead and 17 people injured. Details continue to emerge, but we know that the writings include multiple antisemitic messages, names of and references to previous mass shooters to include the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter, and “Destroy HIAS.”

Defendant Thomas Hill appeared in Pittsburgh municipal court on Wednesday to answer to a summons for disorderly conduct, harassment and ethnic intimidation related to his alleged conduct of yelling “Death to the Jews” and “Fuck Israel” in and around Squirrel Hill. The Judge ordered a 90-day continuance pending a psychological evaluation. For awareness, Hill is described as a 65 year old male with long white hair and a long white beard, wearing glasses and driving a Tan Chevrolet Malibu, PA tag KCN 1086.

The JCC Maccabi Pittsburgh games were an incredible success as approximately 2,000 athletes from across the world all safely arrived, competed and departed last week. We are grateful for the ongoing support of the 20+ law enforcement agencies who supported us throughout this significant and very meaningful event.  

This Sunday will mark the start of the Pittsburgh Maccabi Games. We are thrilled to welcome our athletes and guests and have been actively planning for security for the past six months. We ask that any spectators or guests with security concerns during this event report to us immediately using the Incident Report Form.

Squirrel Hill resident Thomas Hill has been charged with Harassment, Ethnic Intimidation and Disorderly Conduct for yelling F* Israel and antisemitic rhetoric from a tan Chevrolet sedan on and off since March 2025 in Squirrel Hill. His court date is August 20, 2025.

Pittsburgh Police filed Harassment, Ethnic Intimidation, and Disorderly Conduct charges against the male actor who has been yelling F* Israel and antisemitic rhetoric from a tan Chevrolet sedan on/off since March 2025 in Squirrel Hill.

Within the last two weeks there have been three separate incidents reported regarding males that appear to be of Middle Eastern or Hispanic ethnicity who are engaging in suspicious activity near churches in Beaver County, one of them claiming to be from Israel. These incidents stem from driving slowly with phones up possibly taking pictures to leaving an electric bicycle battery in one of the pews.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a National Terrorism Advisory Bulletin dated June 22, 2025, regarding the threat to the United States (US) due to the Iran conflict. Because the US is in a heightened threat environment, low-level cyberattacks are likely against US Networks. Further, multiple recent Homeland terrorist attacks have been motivated by anti-Semitic or anti-Israel sentiment, and the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict could contribute to US-based individuals plotting additional attacks.

While there is no known specific threat directed at the Pittsburgh Jewish community, the conflict between Iran and Israel has risen to a point that the potential for Iranian-directed attacks in the U.S. must be considered and security measures reviewed. We are in close communication with Intelligence Community partners, local, state and federal law enforcement, as well as the Jewish communal security network.

Last evening, the Israeli Defense Forces began a targeted strike against Iranian assets with the stated goal of striking Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and military targets. The operation is ongoing. We are closely monitoring intelligence related to Israel and Iran and will send out the necessary alerts if we learn of any concerns or threats related to Jewish Pittsburgh.