Eight pro-Palestinian activists were federally indicted in June over an alleged year-long campaign of violence and intimidation aimed at University of Michigan officials and others in Michigan [1, 2]. The indictment details that the activists conspired to pressure the university to sever financial ties with Israel by threatening officials, vandalizing property, and targeting Jewish organizations [1].
The alleged campaign spanned from March 2024 to April 2025 and included spray-painting homes with pro-Palestinian slogans, leaving threatening notes, throwing chemical-filled jars at family residences, and placing fake bloody corpses on a university board member’s lawn [2, 1]. Notably, anti-Israel messages were spray-painted at the former University of Michigan president Santa Ono’s home on October 7, 2024, the same day another suspect vandalized the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit building in Bloomfield Township [2]. Many victims were marked with red inverted triangles and red handprints, symbols used by Hamas [1].
The activists allegedly used encrypted messaging apps and social media to coordinate attacks and broadcast threats [1, 2]. FBI Director Kash Patel said the individuals conducted a "targeted, coordinated campaign of violence and intimidation motivated by the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel." He added, "They vandalized property, left threatening messages, and even violently attacked homes while children slept inside," praising the FBI teams for their thorough investigation and multi-state operation [2].
Seven individuals were arrested in connection with the campaign, while one indicted activist remains at large; six others are set to appear in federal court in Detroit and one was arrested in Wisconsin [1, 2]. US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr stated, "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." [1]
The University of Michigan has no direct investments in Israel but holds less than $15 million in funds that might include Israeli companies, according to the indictment [1]. The September 2026 federal complaint and subsequent arrests mark the latest step in addressing the campaign, with initial charges unsealed and actions announced on June 10, 2026 [1, 2].
