DETROIT — Four more people have been charged in the federal case over threats against University of Michigan leaders, campus police and the Jewish Federation of Detroit, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday.
They are Henry David MacKeen-Shapiro, 23; Aaron Hunter Vonbargen, 25; Joseph Mark Fisher, 23; and Srishti Tarana Sharma, 23. A superseding indictment unsealed on Friday added all four names, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan said.
Agents arrested MacKeen-Shapiro and Vonbargen this week. Both were due in court on Friday for a first appearance. Fisher and Sharma had not been arrested.
Twelve people are now charged in the case. The first eight were indicted in June, nearly five months ago, and they have pleaded not guilty, The Associated Press reported.
The planning, prosecutors say, began after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. The group wanted the university and several businesses to cut any perceived ties to Israel, according to the indictment, and threatened more retaliation if they refused.
Court papers say members used encrypted messaging apps, social media and overseas collaboration tools to research targets and plan the acts. The acts themselves, prosecutors say, included spray-painted threats and broken windows. Glass jars filled with noxious chemicals were thrown into family homes.
Homes and workplaces were marked with red handprints and red inverted triangles, the indictment says. Prosecutors say the triangle is a symbol Hamas uses to mark targets for death.
After the attacks, the group posted photographs online along with more threats and warnings, according to the indictment. Prosecutors say the posts were meant to frighten the direct victims and others in the community who support Israel.
The targets included the Jewish Federation of Detroit, two university regents and other university leaders, a university police lieutenant, a student and two businesses with perceived ties to Israel, the statement said.
“These alleged attempts to terrorize our Jewish community and government officials are nothing new.”
U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. also said, “As Americans, our job is to fight the bad guys.”
Jennifer Runyan, the FBI special agent in charge in Detroit, said people who threaten families and hide behind a group should expect to be found. “Justice will find you,” Runyan said.
Since the Israel-Hamas war began, pro-Palestinian protesters have pressed the University of Michigan to stop its endowment from investing in companies with ties to Israel, according to The Associated Press. The university has said less than 0.1% of its endowment is placed with funds that might include companies in Israel.
None of the four new defendants could be reached for comment, and no attorneys were listed for them in the court file, the Detroit Free Press reported.
The charges in the superseding indictment are allegations, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. All of the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in court.
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