Federal prosecutors indicted eight anti-Israel activists affiliated with the University of Michigan on Wednesday, accusing them of conspiring to run a campaign intimidating university officials seen as pro-Israel — and vandalizing local Jewish organizations.  

Following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel, the defendants carried out a series of coordinated actions targeting University of Michigan leaders or organizations with connections to Israel, according to the indictment. On the one-year anniversary of the attacks, they vandalized Detroit’s Jewish Federation building and two other businesses, spray-painting words including “intifada.”   

They also forcibly entered and occupied university buildings, defaced property and disrupted campus events — and placed fake bloody corpses outside the homes of multiple university leaders, including then-President Santa Ono, over their perceived support for Israel. According to Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, the defendants — while masked and hooded — “allegedly threw noxious chemicals through the windows of families’ homes and taped demand letters to their front doors” and also “discussed methods by which to harm the targets and their families, including poison, bombs, and psychological torture.”  

“In America, we rule by law not by fear. These alleged threats and attempts to terrorize government officials, businesses, and the Jewish Federation are anti-American. We will counter intimidation with justice,” said Jerome Gorgon Jr., U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.

If convicted, the individuals could face charges including conspiracy to transmit a threat, conspiracy to tamper with a witness and destruction of property — which carry penalties ranging from five to twenty years in prison. 

The University of Michigan was an epicenter of antisemitic activity in the years following Oct. 7. In 2024, the campus was host to an anti-Israel protest encampment that lasted for nearly four weeks and was ultimately broken up by police. That same year, a Jewish student at the university was attacked —  resulting in minor injuries — in what the Ann Arbor Police Department described as “a bias-motivated assault.” The exterior of Jewish University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker’s law office and home were vandalized multiple times. 

All of the candidates in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary — Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Abdul El-Sayed — did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Jewish Insider about the indictment.  

The Republican candidate, former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), wrote on X, “Atrocious. And clearly an organized criminal operation. We cannot let terror campaigns like this run rampant on our universities, where they spread antisemitism, poison the minds of our youth, and threaten families’ safety.  We must do better. And when I’m elected in November, I’ll make sure of it.” 

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told JI, “Michigan has been a place where people from all backgrounds, religions, and cultures have lived together peacefully for decades. Violence, vandalism, threats, and intimidation are unacceptable. We must remain united in calling out hatred of any kind and continue working together toward peace in Michigan.”

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), who serves as the chairman of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, told JI, “The horrific behavior displayed by eight pro-terrorist individuals at the University of Michigan is completely unacceptable. Those who threaten and use intimidation against officials must be held accountable.”

Elyssa Schmier, regional director of Anti-Defamation League Michigan, said the allegations “paint a disturbing picture of individuals who sought to use fear, harassment and threats of violence to advance their cause.” 

“The right to protest and lobby university officials does not extend to threats, property destruction, harassment, or efforts to terrorize individuals and communities,” said Schmier. “We commend federal, state and local law enforcement for their work investigating these allegations and protecting those who were targeted.”  

Jewish Insider senior congressional correspondent Marc Rod contributed reporting.