A Cornell University student faces federal charges for posting threatening statements online about Jewish students at the upstate New York school, according to a copy of the FBI complaint reviewed by NBC News.
Patrick Dai, a 21-year-old junior at the Ivy League institution, was arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging he posted threats to kill or injure others, U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman of the Northern District of New York said in a press release Tuesday night.
The criminal complaint states that Dai called for the deaths of Jewish people and wrote a post that said he was "gonna shoot up 104 west," referring to a dining hall that largely caters to Kosher diets and is next to the campus Jewish center.
In another post, Dai threatened to "stab" and "slit the throat" of any Jewish men he saw on Cornell's campus, sexually assault and throw Jewish women off a cliff, and decapitate Jewish babies, according to the criminal complaint. He also said he would bring an assault rifle to the university and shoot Jewish people.
Attorney information for Dai was not immediately clear. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. He is expected to appear in federal court in Syracuse on Wednesday.
The menacing messages, posted over the weekend on a forum about fraternities and sororities, alarmed students at Cornell. The anonymous threats came amid a spike of antisemitic and anti-Muslim rhetoric appearing on social media during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
State police referred questions about the case to Cornell. An email seeking additional information was sent to Cornell.
U.S. & World
The comments this weekend were left on a Greek life website that is not affiliated with the school in Ithaca, about 227 miles northwest of New York City.
The Cornell University Police Department reacted by increasing patrols and arranging additional security for Jewish students and organizations. A state police cruiser was parked in the street in front of the Center for Jewish Living on Monday.
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The threats also prompted a campus visit by Hochul.
"Public safety is my top priority and I’m committed to combatting hate and bias wherever it rears its ugly head.” Hochul said in a statement Tuesday.
