SAN ANTONIO, Texas – A University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) professor has been arrested on federal charges related to the possession and viewing of child pornography, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The professor, Zaid Mashhour Haddad, was taken into custody Tuesday on the UTSA Northwest Side campus. Haddad, an Associate Professor of Instruction in Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching, now faces two federal charges:
Possession of child pornography
Knowingly accessing with intent to view material containing child sexual abuse content
An arrest affidavit indicates that federal agents executed a search warrant at Haddad’s apartment in July 2021, where he was allegedly viewing child sexual abuse videos via the Telegram messaging app. The material reportedly contained 181 separate videos. The reason for the delay in Haddad’s arrest—nearly four years after the warrant—was not immediately clarified by authorities.
In response to the arrest, a UTSA spokesperson confirmed that Haddad has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
“There is no indication that any university resources were involved,” the university stated. “We have also launched an internal probe and are cooperating fully with law enforcement.”
Haddad has been a faculty member at UTSA since 2014. Prior to that, he studied and taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he was a doctoral student and faculty member.
If convicted, Haddad faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
The case remains under investigation. Authorities urge anyone with related information to contact law enforcement.
