A Cornell University student was arrested Tuesday and charged with posting anti-Semitic threats against the Ivy League school’s Jewish community, according to federal officials, as the university vowed to maintain heightened security on the Ithaca, N.Y., campus. Photo courtesy of Cornell University
Nov. 1 (UPI) — A student at Cornell University was arrested Tuesday and charged with posting anti-Semitic threats against the Ivy League school’s Jewish community, according to federal officials, as the university vowed to maintain heightened security on campus.
Patrick Dai, 21, a junior at Cornell, is expected to appear in federal court Wednesday in upstate New York on a federal criminal complaint charging him with “posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications.”
According to the complaint, Dai is accused of posting threatening messages on a Cornell online discussion site. He allegedly called for the deaths of Jewish people and in one post said “gonna shoot up 104 west,” which is a university dining hall that caters to Kosher diets and is located next to the Cornell Jewish Center on the Ithaca, N.Y., campus.
The complaint also alleges Dai threatened to “bring an assault rifle to campus” and threatened to “stab and rape” Jewish students.
If convicted on the charge, Dai could face up to five years in prison along with a fine of up to $250,000.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul confirmed Tuesday that a person of interest was in the custody of New York State Police.
“Public safety is my top priority,” the governor said, “and I’m committed to combatting hate and bias wherever it rears its ugly head.”
Cornell vowed to maintain heightened security on campus, according to Joel Malina, vice president for university relations.
“Cornell University is grateful to the FBI for working so swiftly to identify and apprehend the suspect in this case, a Cornell student, who remains in custody,” Malina said in a statement Tuesday.
“We remain shocked by and condemn these horrific, anti-Semitic threats and believe they should be prosecuted to the full extend of the law,” he added.
Earlier this week, Hochul also ordered increased security on campuses across New York, as Cornell promised to reinforce the university’s culture of trust, respect and safety.
“The virulence and destructiveness of anti-Semitism is real and deeply impacting our Jewish students, faculty and staff, as well as the entire Cornell community,” Cornell president Martha Pollack said in a statement. “This incident highlights the need to combat the forces that are dividing us and driving us toward hate. This cannot be what defines us at Cornell.”