PACC Event Features Mohsen Mahdawi, Who Allegedly Said He Used Firearms to “Kill Jews”
The Palestinian American Community Center’s Palestine Day event features Mohsen Mahdawi, accused in DOJ-cited records of telling a gun-shop owner he used firearms to “kill Jews"
Jewish Onliner is an independent publication. If you find our work valuable, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.
The Palestinian American Community Center (PACC), a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is scheduled to host its annual Palestine Day celebration on May 17, 2026, on Palestine Way in Paterson, New Jersey.
Among the event’s advertised speakers is Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University pro-Palestine activist who was arrested by immigration authorities in April 2025. In later federal court filings, the Department of Justice cited a 2015 Vermont police report containing allegations that Mahdawi made statements about killing Jews, sought access to firearms, and claimed he had manufactured weapons for Hezbollah.
Mahdawi’s Background and Alleged Threats
Federal court filings submitted by the Department of Justice in April 2025 cited a 2015 Vermont police report containing serious allegations about Mahdawi’s past statements and conduct. According to the filing, a gun-shop owner told police that Mahdawi claimed to have “considerable firearm experience,” described using weapons to “kill Jews while he was in Palestine,” and allegedly said he had manufactured weapons for Hezbollah.
The same filing cited additional police-report allegations that Mahdawi discussed assembling modified firearms, including 9mm submachine guns, and asked about purchasing a sniper rifle and machine gun. Another witness allegedly told police that Mahdawi had said, “I like to kill Jews.”
University Activism and Trajectory
Mahdawi has maintained positions as a student and activist at institutions across the West Bank and United States for several years. A 2013 Palestinian press report identified Mahdawi as a “Youth Coordinator” in the Fatah Student Movement at Birzeit University in the West Bank, an organization that has had members who were also members of the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
According to footage released by Palestinian Media Watch, the Fatah Student Movement at Birzeit University held a procession featuring masked individuals in military garb carrying posters of designated terrorists as part of student union election campaigns. More recently, Mahdawi was identified as one of the leaders of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University before stepping back from the role in March 2024.
Prior PACC Event Draws Congressional Attention
Jewish Onliner previously reported on PACC’s April 2025 “Grounded in Action” conference, which featured Wisam Rafeedie, a member of the U.S.-designated terrorist organization the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), as a scheduled speaker.
New Jersey-based Palestinian American Community Center to Host PFLP Terrorist and Rep. Rashida Tlaib
The New Jersey-based Palestinian American Community Center (PACC), a tax-exempt nonprofit with 501(c)(3) status, is set to hold its 7th annual conference from April 3-6, 2025, under the title “Ground…
On April 6, 2025, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, sent a formal letter to the Department of Justice urging investigation into whether PACC violated federal law by providing material support to terrorists.