Etna man found guilty of threatening FBI agent on social media

A former student at the University of Pittsburgh was found guilty Friday of using Twitter to threaten an FBI agent who was investigating him.

A jury deliberated three hours before finding Khaled Miah guilty of seven counts, including interstate threats, retaliating against a federal officer by threats and destruction of records in a federal investigation.

Miah, 28, of Etna will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge W. Scott Hardy on April 21. Trial began in the case on Dec. 9.

According to the U.S. attorney’s office in Pittsburgh, the FBI began an investigation into an online threat Miah made to a user on YouTube in 2019.

Special Agent Nicholas Edquist, who was leading that investigation, attempted to interview Miah, who was an economics student at the time, on Sept. 28, 2020.

From that point on, prosecutors said, Miah became fixated on Edquist and other agents working the case.

Several days later, Edquist discovered that Miah had altered a profile picture on one of his Twitter accounts to be that of the agent’s wife, which he had found online.

Over the ensuing weeks, Miah drove in the vicinity of the couple’s home, as well as in the area of the FBI’s Pittsburgh headquarters on the South Side. In addition, they said he drove to the national mall in Washington, and parked near major landmarks, including the Capitol and White House.

In addition, in late December 2020, the government said, Miah posted concerning comments on Twitter, including the GPS coordinates for FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., and comments about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The defense said that Miah never intended to threaten anyone and that he was mocking the FBI, or trolling them.

Miah, who was arrested on Jan. 6, has been diagnosed since his arrest with unspecified mental disorder and psychosis.