Activists indicted for intimidation of Michigan officials

Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment Wednesday charging eight activists with orchestrating a criminal conspiracy involving threats, vandalism, and intimidation targeting University of Michigan officials, local businesses, and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. The indictment, filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit, alleges the campaign was designed to pressure the university to sever its financial ties with Israel.

The 63-page document details a series of alleged acts beginning in March 2024 and continuing through April 2025. Prosecutors accuse the defendants of spray-painting anti-Israel messages and threats, including phrases like "Intifada" and "Free Palestine," on properties. Specific incidents highlighted include placing fake bloody corpses on a university regent's lawn and spray-painting the home of then-university president Santa Ono. The indictment further alleges that masked individuals threw glass jars filled with noxious chemicals through the windows of occupied family homes and taped demand letters to doors. Symbols described as threatening, including red inverted triangles and red handprints, were used to mark victims.