Pittsburgh Child Porn Suspect Had Firearms Arsenal: Authorities

PITTSBURGH, PA — A Crescent Township man charged with possessing child pornography also possessed 20 firearms and had a violent extremist ideology, authorities said.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh announced Wednesday that Aidan Harding, 20, is being detained after being charged with possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

According to Troy Rivetti, acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Harding allegedly possessed videos containing the sexual abuse of prepubescent minors, including violent sexual assaults.

In addition, according to a release from Rivetti, Harding adhered to a racially-motivated violent extremist ideology, possessed more than 20 firearms, had targeted Pittsburgh’s Jewish community with antisemitic fliers, and made statements online about his interest in “political and revenge driven” mass casualty events - including references to the shooter who murdered 11 congregants at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018.

According to Rivetti, Harding had been previously adjudicated delinquent for terroristic threats after discussing online his desire to commit a “high kill count” attack, possessed videos of mass shootings from the United States and other countries, and had filmed himself re-enacting the Columbine mass shooting at a memorial honoring the victims of that attack.

Harding is being held without bond.