The FBI on Tuesday arrested a Cornell University student who authorities believe was behind a series of threats to kill Jewish students at the school.
Patrick Dai, a junior at the school, was charged in federal court with making a threatening communication.
Authorities said he threatened to “shoot up” a dining hall that caters to Jewish students by serving kosher meals, made a number of other venomous pronouncements of hate against Jews, calling them “sub human animals” that “must be killed as such” and vowing to “behead your children and bathe you in their blood.”
Agents said they traced the messages back to an internet protocol address associated with Mr. Dai, 21, from Pittsford, New York.
Mr. Dai is expected to make his first appearance in court on Wednesday.
The threats, part of a wave of antisemitism in the wake of Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel and Israel’s retaliatory response, had shocked the New York campus and left Jewish students fearing for their lives.
In an affidavit filed charging Mr. Dai, an FBI agent said he admitted to making the posts.
The agent did not reveal a motive in the document, but the messages suggested a deep animosity toward Jews.
“Let the rain of retribution turn the zionist entity into a storm of hellfire,” one message read. “Let every nazi fascist genocidal jew die from their own hypocrisy. The defenders of Palestine will not stay silent!”
Another said: “As long as the target is sub human like a zionist jew-woman then rape is allowed and encouraged by the quran. Mashallah.”
Messages were posted under pseudonyms such as “Glorious Hamas” and “sieg heil.”
The arrest was announced hours after FBI Director Christopher A. Wray appeared on Capitol Hill to talk about the elevated threat environment in the U.S. after the Hamas attack on Israel.
Mr. Wray said antisemitic threats have soared. Even before the attack, Jews made up 60% of victims of religiously motivated hate crimes, despite being less than 3% of the U.S. population.
Mr. Wray said it’s too early for firm data, but he suspected that rate would go even higher after the events in the Middle East.
“This is a group that has the outrageous distinction of being uniquely targeted, and they need our help,” Mr. Wray said.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.