(NewsNation) — Cornell University junior Patrick Dai appeared in federal court Wednesday after being arrested for allegedly posting violent antisemitic threats online.
Federal prosecutors say Dai, a 21-year-old engineering student from Pittsford, New York, called for the deaths of Jewish people on an online discussion site.
In one post, Dai allegedly threatened to “shoot up 104 west,” a dining hall that serves kosher food located next to the Cornell Center for Jewish Living, according to a criminal complaint.
In another post, Dai threatened to “stab” and “slit the throat” of any Jewish males he sees on campus, to rape and throw off a cliff any Jewish females and to behead any Jewish babies, authorities said.
In that same post, prosecutors say the 21-year-old threatened to “bring an assault rifle to campus and shoot all you pig jews.”
Threats came from usernames that included “hamas soldier,” “kill Jews,” “Jew crimes,” and more, per court documents.
Authorities linked Dai to the messages through his IP address, and he admitted to posting them during an interview with the FBI, the criminal complaint said.
Dai’s father told the New York Post his son has “severe depression” and can’t control his emotions. The dad, who asked that his name not be used, said he doesn’t think his son committed the crime.
The 21-year-old stopped communicating with his parents around the time he allegedly posted the threats. Dai’s mother feared he was on the brink of suicide, the Post reported.
Dai entered Cornell as a National Merit Scholar after graduating from Pittsford Mendon High School in 2020, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Once at the prestigious university, he worked as an orientation leader and tutored other engineering students. However, he became deeply depressed in 2021, his father told the Post.
Dai will be held in jail until his next hearing Nov. 15, according to NewsNation affiliate WSYR.
He is charged with posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications and faces up to five years in prison as well as a $250,000 fine.