Day was questioned hours before his arrest after state police identified a “person of interest” in the disturbing case. He was arrested in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday. Joel Malina, Cornell’s vice president for university relations, confirmed in a statement that a Cornell student was in custody, but that it was a different person and not 21-year-old Bedai.
“We are shocked and condemn these horrible anti-Semitic threats, and we believe that the students should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Malina said. “We know that our campus community will continue to support each other in the coming days.” Dai is the second Cornell University student to be investigated for anti-Semitic threats in recent weeks. Earlier this month, another student, whose name has not been released, was arrested after he admitted to threatening to “kill Jews” on an Internet forum.
Anti-Semitic threats on university campuses in the United States have increased in recent years, when according to a report by the Anti-Defamation League, the number of anti-Semitic threats on campuses in the United States will increase by 25% only in 2022. The report states that the increase in anti-Semitic threats on campuses is related to an increase in anti-Semitic incidents. around the world and also notes that the pro-Palestinian agitation following the recent clashes between Israel and Hamas contributed to an increase in anti-Semitism on campuses.