Zainab Hakim

Four activists were released on bond after being charged with conspiracy to threaten University of Michigan leaders over their refusal to divest from Israel. The defendants allegedly coordinated intimidation efforts, including defacing properties and using harmful substances, and prosecutors argued they posed a flight risk and community danger.

Four pro-Palestinian University of Michigan students and alumni charged with vandalism and transmitting threats were granted bond after a judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf. The case involves eight individuals, with additional arraignments scheduled for co-conspirators, including Ahmet Korkaya and Miriam Odeh, while protests occurred outside the federal courthouse in Detroit.

Eight pro-Palestinian activists associated with the University of Michigan were indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly transmitting threats to university officials and others, prompting civil rights advocates to argue the case conflates protected political expression with criminal conduct. The indictment claims the group coordinated efforts to pressure the university to divest from Israel, while the Council on American-Islamic Relations Michigan Chapter criticized the charges as overreaching.

The U.S. Department of Justice indicted eight pro-Palestinian activists for allegedly threatening University of Michigan officials and others to pressure the university to divest from Israel. The indictment alleges the group used vandalism, threatening symbols linked to Hamas, and social media to coordinate attacks, motivated by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the Gaza war.