November 1st 2023.
Ithaca, New York - A Cornell University student has been arrested and accused of making threatening statements against Jewish students on an online forum. Patrick Dai, 21, a junior from Pittsford, New York, has been charged with using interstate communications to threaten to kill or injure another.
The federal charge carries a possible five-year prison sentence, according to a joint statement from the US Attorney's Office, FBI, New York State police, and Cornell University Police. Dai did not respond to a Facebook message and his Cornell email address could not be immediately accessed.
The anonymous messages had been posted on a forum about fraternities and sororities and caused alarm among the students at the Ivy League school. The threats were made amid a spike of anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim rhetoric appearing on social media during the current war between Israel and Hamas.
The threatening posts included calls to kill Jewish people, statements that threatened to shoot up a dining hall that caters predominantly to kosher diets, threats to rape and throw off a cliff any Jewish females, and to behead any Jewish babies. Dai is scheduled to appear Wednesday in federal court in Syracuse, New York.
Joel M Malina, vice president for university relations at Cornell University, said in a statement that the school was grateful for the quick work of the FBI. He added, “We remain shocked by and condemn these horrific, anti-Semitic threats and believe they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. We know that our campus community will continue to support one another in the days ahead."
In light of the online threats, the Cornell University Police Department increased patrols and arranged additional security for Jewish students and organizations. A state police cruiser was also parked in the street in front of the Center for Jewish Living.
The threats also prompted a visit from New York Governor Kathy Hochul. In a statement, she said, "Public safety is my top priority and I'm committed to combatting hate and bias wherever it rears its ugly head.”
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