The alleged ring leader of a Zoom bombing group that used racist language at several Fresno City Council meetings four years ago is now under federal indictment.

In an indictment unsealed last month, the federal government accuses Mohammad Amr Alhashemi — a Syrian national from Albania, attending college in England — of six counts of repeated harassing communications and transmitting threatening communications.

Federal documents said that Alhashemi led a “Zoom raiding group, which specifically targeted Zoom meetings in order to disrupt public meetings, religious services, school meetings, and other events. using hate speech and threatening communications. The Zoom raid group members used chat applications, such as Discord, to virtually gather together as a group to coordinate and conspire together to conduct their Zoom raids.”

The indictment lists Alhasehmi “in custody” but does not reveal any more information. There is no court date listed. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not respond to a question about Alhashemi’s status.

“It was a traumatizing time for the community at large to have to endure,” said Fresno City Councilmember Nelson Esparza. “I am glad that law enforcement is pursuing justice.”

Zoom Bombing Details

The 40-page affidavit from Fresno-based FBI Special Agent Britton Wallace detailed the several meetings Alhashemi and his group “bombed,” the nature of their comments, and how the FBI tied the virtual appearances to the suspect.

The court documents list several aliases for Alhashemi, a software engineering student at Teesside University in Middlesbrough, England. The Fresno Zoom bombing happened at a time when several of the meetings were all-virtual because of the COVID pandemic.

Another incident took place June 20, 2020, at a virtual Jewish service in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The affidavit also listed a Zoom bombing of a July 11, 2020 virtual wedding in Rochester, New York.

Using IP addresses and other identifiers, the FBI said Alhashemi made racist comments including “kill all” followed by a racial epithet at the Fresno meetings.

At the June 11, 2020 meeting, Alhashemi, used the alias Bryan Patterson. As GV Wire wrote at the time, “Patterson started going on a rant, using the N-word before (City Council President Miguel) Arias cut him off.”

Arias cut off pubic comment at the time, while other members of the city council publicly expressed their disgust at the comments.

Troubling comments were also made at meetings on June 9, June 15, and June 25. By the time of the last meeting, the city council posted in the Zoom chat function that “the FBI and Zoom are currently monitoring this meeting” to “track down and file charges against anyone making threatening comments.”

The FBI affidavit said it interviewed an “African American City Councilmember” — presumably Esparza, who would be the only member to fit that description. Nelson told the FBI that he felt offended and threatened by the statements.

A person described as an African American who was the city’s transportation director — fitting the description of Gregory Barfield — told the FBI he initially thought the comments were just “knucklehead kids speaking foolishly.” But at a later meeting, when the racist comments continued and were directed at airport visitors, the director “felt frustrated.”

Muting problem at Zoom meeting. Lots of nasty language. F words. Satan words. Bizarre. @MiguelArias_D3 warns participants not to unmute or they will be kicked out. pic.twitter.com/0sW0rl9avB

— David Taub (@TaubGVWire) June 9, 2020

Members of the Ring

The investigation found several other alleged Zoom bomb ring members in the United States, including several juveniles.

In its investigation, the FBI found chats on a computer urging Alhasemi’s alleged conspirators to join the meeting.

One member told the FBI, Alhashemi “loves to offend people.”

Faces Six Charges

Alhashemi faces one count of conspiracy of engaging in anonymous harassment by telecommunications; one count of engaging in repeated harassment; one count in engaging in anonymous harassment; and three counts of transmitting threatening communications.

Penalties range from two to five years in prison with $250,000 in fines.