Cornell University student accused of making online threats to Jewish students

ITHACA, N.Y. — A junior at Cornell University is accused of making online threats against Jewish students on campus, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

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According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, Patrick Dai, 21, of Pittsford, New York, was arrested Tuesday and charged with posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications.

Dai is accused of posting threats on Sunday to an online discussion site, allegedly threatening to shoot students at a multicultural dining room on the Ithaca, New York, campus, the Syracuse Post-Standard reported.

The dining room, called104West!, serves food that meets Kosher, Halal and other religious guidelines, according to the newspaper. It is located next to the university’s Center for Jewish Living, where several dozen Jewish students live on campus, the Post-Standard reported.

According to the federal criminal complaint, Dai is accused of writing a post that said he was “gonna shoot up 104 west.”

In another post, Dai allegedly “threatened to “stab” and “slit the throat” of any Jewish males he sees on campus, “to rape and throw off a cliff” any Jewish females, to “behead any Jewish babies” and to “bring an assault rifle to campus and shoot all you pig jews,” the criminal complaint alleges.

“We remain shocked by and condemn these horrific, antisemitic threats and believe they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” Joel Malina, Cornell’s vice president for university relations, said in a statement, according to WSYR-TV. “We know that our campus community will continue to support one another in the days ahead. Cornell Police will maintain its heightened security presence on campus as the university continues to focus on supporting the needs of our students, faculty and staff.”

Dai is expected to appear in a Syracuse federal court on Wednesday, according to the Post-Standard.

If convicted of the charges, Dai faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, WHAM-TV reported.