A resident of Florida was charged on Wednesday for using Hamas symbols to threaten Americans, the Maryland District US Attorney’s Office announced.
After being arrested by law enforcement in his hometown, Gainesville resident Arsham Rashidi Dizajgan was charged with six counts of transmitting an interstate threat to injure another person.
While living in Maryland, the 27-year-old had allegedly posted photographs and videos on social media of American citizens with inverted red triangles over their heads, adding threatening messages to these posts.
The inverted red triangle is a symbol used in Hamas propaganda to denote a targeted enemy.
'Threats to US citizens' safety won't be tolerated'
During the same time frame – from September 2024 until March – Dizajgan had also allegedly used his TikTok account to post videos and comments celebrating violence against Americans and non-Muslims.
Maryland District Attorney Kelly O. Hayes said in a press release that “threats to the safety and security of American citizens will not be tolerated, particularly when such threats adopt the language and tactics of violent extremists and foreign terrorist organizations.”
FBI Baltimore Field Office Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul said that the agency took “all threats seriously” and encouraged the public to report any concerning messages.
The Jewish Federation of Annapolis & the Chesapeake thanked law enforcement in a Saturday statement for their swift action to protect Maryland residents.
“Their rapid, coordinated work ensured that these threats were taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, and stopped before they could escalate,” the nonprofit organization said.