Former Michigan Senate staffer indicted over UM threat plot

A former staffer for Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul ElSayed has been indicted on federal charges as part of an alleged 18-month campaign of threats and vandalism targeting University of Michigan officials and pro-Israel organizations. The indictment, unsealed on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, charges Mariam Odeh, 24, of Dearborn, and seven others with conspiracy to transmit threats, witness intimidation, and destruction of property.

Federal prosecutors allege the group, which includes students and activists, conspired from October 2023 through April 2025 to harass university leaders into severing the school’s financial and institutional ties with Israel. The indictment states the defendants’ activities included spray-painting threats, breaking windows, and throwing glass jars filled with noxious chemicals into the homes of their targets. The alleged victims included then-University President Santa Ono, the chief investment officer, the provost, and several members of the Board of Regents. The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and a Rolls-Royce facility were also reportedly targeted.

According to court documents, the group used symbols associated with Hamas, such...