Cornell student from Pittsford accused of making antisemitic threats will appear in court Wednesday

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Patrick Dai, the Cornell student from Pittsford accused of posting threats calling for the murder of Jewish people, is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday afternoon for a change of plea hearing.

He will appear before a judge in Syracuse at 2 p.m. Dai, 21, is accused of posting the messages to the Cornell section of an online discussion site about fraternities and sororities. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, that includes a post that says “gonna shoot up 104 west,” a Cornell dining hall that caters mostly to Kosher diets and is located next to the Cornell Jewish Center. Another post threatens to follow Jewish students on campus home and to slit their throats.

According to Dai’s lawyer, Dai told the FBI that he was posing as a Hamas soldier when he made the posts. Dai thought that would expose the evil of Hamas following the terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7. One post was signed “Hamas soldier.”