Local neo-Nazi charged with child pornography, ordered held without bail
Harding possessed videos of mass shootings and filmed himself re-enacting the Columbine mass shooting at a memorial honoring the victims of the attack.
Aidan Harding, 20, of Crescent Township, has targeted the Pittsburgh Jewish community with antisemitic fliers and made statements online about his interest in “political and revenge driven” mass casualty events, according to Troy Rivetti, acting United States district attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
The information was revealed during a Feb. 12 detention hearing. Harding was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh and charged with possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, Rivetti announced Feb. 26.
During the hearing, evidence was introduced that Harding also possessed materials depicting violent sexual assaults, adhered to a racially motivated violent extremist ideology, possessed more than 20 firearms and made references to the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter.
According to information released by the district attorney’s office, Harding, who previously had been “adjudicated delinquent for terroristic threats after discussing online his desire to commit a ‘high kill count attack’” possessed videos of mass shootings and filmed himself re-enacting the Columbine mass shooting at a memorial honoring the victims of the attack.
Harding, the government said, “presented an unacceptable danger to the community.” He was ordered held without bail. If found guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.
Harding has been identified as one of two white supremacists seen late last year on a Pittsburgh bridge waving a Nazi flag. He is associated with at least one neo-Nazi hate group.
Shawn Brokos, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh community security director, said that Harding has long been on the Federation’s radar due to his “blatant antisemitism and ties to neo-Nazi organizations.”
“His extremist ideology, combined with access to weapons, has posed a serious potential threat to both the Jewish community and the broader Pittsburgh community,” Brokos said. “We are grateful for the swift and decisive actions of law enforcement and federal prosecutors and the ongoing collaboration among agencies working to ensure our collective safety.”
There is no immediate threat to the community, Brokos said, but noted that Federation and law enforcement are taking a deeper look at Harding’s associates to determine what threat potential may exist.
Community members are urged to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement and the Federation. PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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