Eight University of Michigan (UMich) associated anti-Israel activists were indicted for a two and a half year campaign of violent threats and vandalism against university officials, the local Jewish federation, law enforcement, and businesses, the Michigan Eastern District US Attorney's Office announced on Wednesday.
Twenty-three year old Canton resident Zainab Aliasgar Hakim, 21-year-old Ann Arbor resident Amatullah Aliasgar Hakim, 26-year-old Ann Arbor resident Paige Elizabeth Feyock, 28-year-old Milwaukee resident Ahmet Kerem Korkaya, 22-year-old Ann Arbor resident Jonathan Hongru Zou, 23-year-old Chicago resident Alexander Matthew Sepulveda, 24-year-old Dearborn resident Mariam Muhammed Odeh, and 24-year-old Ann Arbor resident Colin Hunter Weger were indicted by a federal grand jury after they were arrested in a multi-state operation in Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
The activists face a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment for conspiracy to transmit threats.
Since the October 7 massacre, the eight anti-Israel activists had allegedly launched a campaign of vandalism and intimidation primarily motivated by a desire for UMich to cut all perceived ties with Israel.
The eight anti-Israel activists allegedly held meetings to identify targets, researching their personal details and business ownership, and discussed methods of harming the targets and their families, including poison, bombs, and psychological torture. Korkaya allegedly stated that one victim's family was on a hit list, and Feyock allegedly called for the conspirators to get the children of the targets.
“I’m gonna be the dirtiest f***ing doctor ever...I’m gonna be [victim’s] doctor... poison her a** slowly,” Korkaya allegedly said about another victim.
Feyock allegedly said in a meeting that “We need people following [victim]... get into that house then burn it down.”
Homes, businesses vandalized
The defendants operated at night, vandalizing and defacing homes and businesses with spray-painted threatening messages and slogans, including "intifada" and terrorist symbols such as the red inverted triangle, used by Hamas in propaganda videos to denote a target.
On the one-year anniversary of the October 7 massacre, the defendants allegedly vandalized a Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit building and two other businesses with anti-Israel slogans.
The DoJ also cited incidents in which activists targeted the homes of UMich officials, such as in the May 2024 incident in which dozens of protesters erected tents and placed fake corpses wrapped in bloodied sheets on the lawn of UMich regent Sarah Hubbard. The activists played both bullhorns and drums, and taped a list of demands to her front door.
The same morning, masked activists came to the door of UMich Regent Jorda Acker’s residence before dawn, demanding the defunding of police. In December 2024, an object was thrown through the window of Acker’s family home, and their vehicle was graffitied with pro-Palestinian slogans and the red inverted triangles.
JTA reported that in June 2024, Acker’s law office was tagged with the slogans “free Palestine” and “divest now.” Former president Sana Ono and University chief investment officer Erik Lundberg’s homes were vandalized in October, and UMich Provost Laurie McCauley’s home was graffitied with the phrase “free Palestine.”
Acker, Hubbard, and Regent Mark Bernstein had continued to receive email threats as of June, leading the university to assign 24-hour security to its regents and executive officers.
The DoJ said that the defendants participated in actions in which they caulked doors shut, bike-locked entryways, broke windows, and threw glass jars filled with butyric acid and dye into homes. They allegedly posted footage of the incidents online and warned: "You cannot hide."
Destruction of property, witness intimidation charges
Sepulveda was charged with destruction of property to prevent seizure related to an incident in which he and Zou allegedly threw glass jars filled with food compost through a window of McClauley's home. Tipped off by an unindicted conspirator that law enforcement was about to search Sepulveda's home, the defendant allegedly cleared the contents of his phone and laptop. The charge carries a penalty of up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Hakim and Feyock were also charged with witness intimidation, after they allegedly devised a plan to confront a UMich student they believed to be cooperating with law enforcement.
"We have to do something about [victim]... [victim] is actually a liability... the fact that [victim] is naming you to [unindicted conspirator] is a major issue,” Feyock allegedly said, calling for them to be "neutralized."
Feyock allegedly wanted to "strip search" the victim “to see if he is wearing a wire / not taking no chances with him.”
They confronted the victim in August 2024, and then reportedly told another conspirator that the victim knew not to talk about their activities. Conspiracy to tamper with a witness comes with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Michigan activist groups rallied outside a Detroit courthouse on Wednesday, decrying the arrests as suppression of pro-Palestinian activism.
"As fascism continues to rise, we will continue to see an escalation of state repression. We call on all students and youth to support people facing fascist repression," the League of Revolutionary Students said on Instagram.
Last May, charges were dropped against 11 activists involved in anti-Israel encampment and other protests at UMich, including charges for trespassing and obstructing police officers.