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Cornell Student Patrick Dai Arrested for Online Anti-Semitic Threats Against Peers, Held Without Bail

Dai's family claims "severe depression" as defense; Junior engineering student, previously served as safety officer for an event planning organization, now faces up to five years in prison for threats that purportedly sparked heightened vigilance toward safety and conflicting anxieties amongst the university community.

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Overview

  • Cornell University engineering student, Patrick Dai, has been arrested and charged with federal crimes for online threats of violence against Jewish students in the midst of the Israel-Hamas war. These threats included calls for rape, beheading, and following Jewish students home to slit their throats.
  • Despite Dai's family claiming his actions were due to 'severe depression', the Judge ordered him to be held without bail due to the potential risk he poses to the community.
  • The online threats escalated anxieties on campus and have caused deep divisions within the university community, sparking arguments between Jewish and Muslim students and raising critiques against the university's administration.
  • In response to Dai's threats, authorities increased security measures for Jewish students and organizations, including a heightened police presence and FBI involvement in the investigation.
  • Before the arrest, Patrick Dai served as a safety officer and director of logistics for the science Olympiad at Cornell, a position that involved monitoring safety protocols and planning events. He was immediately suspended following his arrest according to university policy.