(WWJ) Federal prosecutors unsealed a 63-page grand jury indictment on Wednesday charging eight people associated with the University of Michigan for allegedly orchestrating a violent campaign of threats and vandalism aimed at forcing U-M to cut ties with Israel.
According to the Department of Justice, the defendants targeted university leaders, law enforcement officials, local businesses, and community organizations — including the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit — in an attempt to terrorize them into compliance.
The 63-page, obtained by WWJ Newsradio 950, states:
"Their goal included forcing the University of Michigan and other businesses to sever all perceived ties with the State of Israel. To accomplish this goal, the defendants and their unindicted conspirators, in the Eastern District of Michigan and elsewhere, used encrypted messages, social media, and overseas collaboration platforms to research, target, and attack their victims. Then, they posted pictures of their attacks on social media, along with additional threats and warnings."
The multi-state law enforcement operation led to arrests across Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
The eight named in the federal indictment are:
- Zainab Aliasgar Hakim, 23, of Canton, MI
- Amatullah Aliasgar Hakim, 21, of Ann Arbor, MI
- Paige Elizabeth Feyock, 26, of Ann Arbor, MI
- Ahmet Kerem Korkaya, 28, of Milwaukee, WI
- Jonathan Hongru Zou, 22, of Ann Arbor, MI
- Alexander Matthew Sepulveda, 23, of Chicago, IL
- Mariam Muhammed Odeh, 24, of Dearborn, MI
- Colin Hunter Weger, 24, of Ann Arbor, MI
The indictment alleges that the defendants, along with unindicted conspirators, held meetings to plan, and collaborated to identify specific targets, including University of Michigan leadership, businesses, and anyone else whom they believed supported Israel.
It's alleged that the group went online to research addresses, photos, political and social connections, business ownership, and other personal details. "They performed surveillance on their targets and counter-surveillance on law enforcement. They discussed methods by which to harm their targets and their families, including poison, bombs, and psychological torture," the indictment says, adding:
"Their criminal activity included spray painting threats, breaking windows, and throwing glass jars filled with noxious chemicals into family homes. They marked their victims with threatening symbols used by Hamas, including red inverted triangles and red handprints. They used the internet and social media to broadcast their message to ensure their threats and commitment to continuing criminal activity were heard by their victims and others who support Israel."
The Jewish Federation of Detroit released the following statement in response to this case:
"The Jewish Federation of Detroit applauds the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, the FBI, and state and local law enforcement for the investigation leading to the indictment and arrest of eight defendants alleged to have conspired to threaten and intimidate Jewish leaders, businesses, and community institutions as well as law enforcement in our community. The indictment details a deliberate campaign of intimidation and terror: attacks on private homes, threats to “get” the “kids” of victims, witness intimidation, and the targeting of Jewish institutions, including our own. Many of the alleged threats directly reference the Hamas-led terror attack on October 7, 2023.We are grateful to law enforcement for pursuing this investigation with the seriousness it demands, and we look forward to seeing justice served, sending a clear message that hate, intimidation and antisemitic violence have no place in our community or in our country.”
