Former Abdul El-Sayed campaign aide among 12 indicted in alleged anti-Israel threat plot targeting Michigan university

A former campaign worker for Michigan politician Abdul El-Sayed is among 12 pro-Palestinian activists indicted by federal prosecutors over an alleged conspiracy involving threats, vandalism and intimidation targeting members of the state's Jewish community and University of Michigan officials.Mariam Odeh, 24, who worked for El-Sayed's Michigan Senate campaign for two weeks in 2024, was among eight people initially charged in the case. Four more alleged co-conspirators were indicted on October 30, taking the total number of defendants to 12, according to federal prosecutors.Odeh was paid nearly $750 for her work on El-Sayed's campaign, The Detroit News reported in June, citing campaign records and a spokesperson for the candidate. She left the campaign on April 15, 2024, after working as an hourly employee.According to an indictment unsealed by federal prosecutors, the group allegedly orchestrated a campaign of threats and vandalism in an attempt to force the University of Michigan to cut ties with Israel. The alleged targets included former university president Santa Ono, Regent Jordan Acker, other university officials, law enforcement personnel and businesses perceived to have links with Israel.The latest indictment, which brings the number of accused to 12, alleges that members of the group vandalised properties, spray-painted anti-Israel slogans and threw containers containing noxious substances into residential properties.Prosecutors also alleged that the activists discussed kidnapping and firebombing potential targets, including a pro-life centre.Odeh was allegedly involved in vandalising a Rolls-Royce Solutions America Inc. building in Detroit in 2024. The group allegedly padlocked the building's doors and spray-painted slogans including "FREE PALESTINE" and "LONG LIVE THE INTIFADA" outside the premises.According to The New York Post, Odeh was also among activists accused of targeting the homes of university board members, planting fake corpses on lawns and spray-painting anti-Israel messages outside the home of the university's then-president.The alleged attacks included breaking windows and throwing jars containing noxious chemicals into family homes. The group also allegedly posted footage of the incidents on social media, warning victims that "you cannot hide", the report said.Odeh was charged in June with one count of conspiracy to transmit threats in interstate and foreign commerce. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.Who are the four newly indicted?The four additional defendants named in the October 30 indictment are Henry David MacKeen-Shapiro, 23, of Detroit; Aaron Hunter Vonbargen, 25, of Ypsilanti; Joseph Mark Fisher, 23; and Srishti Tarana Sharma, 23, of Canada.They face charges related to the alleged conspiracy to transmit threats, while Sharma also faces a charge of destruction of property.MacKeen-Shapiro and Vonbargen appeared in federal court in Detroit on October 30 and were released on $10,000 unsecured bonds. Two of the four newly indicted defendants are still at large, prosecutors said.The eight people charged in the initial indictment include Zainab Hakim, who prosecutors have described as the alleged ringleader, her sister Amatullah Hakim, Paige Feyock, Ahmet Korkaya, Jonathan Zou, Alexander Sepulveda, Odeh and Colin Weger.US Attorney Jerome Gorgon said the alleged attempts to intimidate members of the Jewish community and government officials would be pursued by federal authorities.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.