Former UIC ROTC cadet indicted for trying to join Hezbollah after Chicago arrest

CHICAGO -- A former U.S. Army soldier and dual Irish-American citizen who allegedly traveled to Lebanon and attempted to join the terrorist group Hezbollah was indicted by a grand jury Thursday, following his arrest in Chicago early last month.

Jack Molloy, 24, was allegedly rebuffed repeatedly as he contacted people he believed were members of Hezbollah - who told him in the wake of the Israeli pager explosion operation that it was not the best time to join the group.

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His motivation to join Hezbollah, according to charging documents, allegedly stemmed towards his hatred of Jews. In one WhatsApp message to a family member, Molloy allegedly said his "master plan was to join Hezbollah and kill Jews."

At one point, an individual Molloy believed could help him join the group urged him to reconsider based on his "Irish appearance," according to a criminal complaint filed by prosecutors.

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"My friend, look, I will tell you something. At the time, it's not a good idea, OK?" the man allegedly told him. "But man, your look at this time, at this point, it's very, very sensitive, so. It's better not to go, eh, now."

Molloy was reportedly not convinced, however, and later attended a funeral for a Hezbollah fighter in Lebanon to connect with their associates and traveled to Syria and Iraq in other unsuccessful attempts to join branches of Hezbollah.

He was interviewed by the FBI upon arriving back to the U.S. in October and allegedly lied to agents repeatedly as he denied having any plans to join Hezbollah.

Molloy was only listed as an active duty soldier in the U.S. Army for a period of 35 days in 2019, and in 2021 signed a contract with the U.S. Army Reserve as a Cadet with the ROTC at the University of Illinois in Chicago - though he's no longer a member of the ROTC.

He has not yet entered a plea to the charges of making false statements and attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization in his indictment. A public defender assigned to him in court yesterday did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.