Patrick Dai, a 21-year-old junior at Cornell University hailing from Pittsford, New York, was taken into custody today following his arrest on a federal criminal complaint. He faces charges of posting threats to kill or injure Jews using interstate communications.
The complaint alleges that Dai used the Cornell section of an online discussion site to post threatening messages. These posts included calls for the harm and death of Jewish individuals. One particularly concerning post mentioned “gonna shoot up 104 west.” For context, 104 West is a Cornell University dining hall primarily serving Kosher diets, adjacent to the Cornell Jewish Center, where Cornell students reside.
Dai is anticipated to make his initial appearance in federal court in Syracuse, New York, before a United States Magistrate Judge. The investigation into this case is being led by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), with the participation of the New York State Police, Cornell University Police Department, and the Ithaca Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York is prosecuting the case in collaboration with the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
