PITTSBURGH—A man from the Pittsburgh area, who faces charges related to child sexual abuse materials, is also accused of distributing antisemitic flyers targeting the city’s Jewish community. Prosecutors have revealed that the individual had previously expressed desires to carry out a significant attack.
The U.S. attorney’s office announced on Wednesday that they had succeeded in persuading the court to deny bail for 20-year-old Aidan Harding during a recent hearing. Harding faces an indictment for possessing videos and photos of sexually explicit material involving children below the age of 12.
Harding’s defense team contended that he poses no risk of fleeing given his lifelong residency in the Pittsburgh area and employment on his family’s farm. In a legal document filed on February 12, they clarified that he is accused of having illicit material on his phone, and not of creating it or attempting to meet a minor.
Prosecutors claim that Harding follows an extremist ideology driven by racial motivations and possesses over 20 firearms. They also noted a prior adjudication for making terroristic threats, referencing an online post by Harding expressing a desire to commit a highly lethal attack.
In response, defense attorneys Chris Capozzi and Casey Mullen argued that although Harding’s alleged sympathies for extremist ideologies are disturbing, they are not necessarily unlawful. They maintained that his firearms are legally owned. Mullen opted not to comment further on Wednesday.
Magistrate Judge Christopher B. Brown ruled that Harding be detained until his trial. According to the telephone system at Butler County Prison, Harding remained incarcerated there as of Wednesday afternoon.
