Rejected by Hezbollah: Irish-American convert arrested at JFK in failed terror plot

Federal authorities arrested a 24-year-old Irish-American citizen at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday, alleging he spent months attempting to join the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

Jack Daher, who converted to Shia Islam approximately two years ago, was taken into custody immediately upon his return from Lebanon, according to court documents filed in the Eastern District of New York.

Federal prosecutors allege that Daher, a former Protestant, traveled to Lebanon with the explicit intention of joining Hezbollah, which the U.S. State Department has designated as a foreign terrorist organization since 1997. According to the criminal complaint, Hezbollah officials ultimately rejected Daher's overtures, citing security concerns about potential infiltration.

"The organization has too many spies, we cannot trust a stranger," Hezbollah representatives allegedly told Daher, according to transcripts of encrypted communications recovered by the FBI.

A search of Daher's mobile device revealed extensive evidence of radicalization, including antisemitic content and explicit statements about wanting to harm Israeli citizens, prosecutors said. The FBI also recovered communications with associates discussing his intentions to join the militant group.

If convicted, Daher faces up to 20 years in federal prison for attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. His legal representation couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

The investigation was conducted jointly by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and the New York Police Department's Intelligence Bureau, with assistance from international law enforcement partners.

The case is U.S. v. Daher, 23-cr-XXX, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn).